When Worlds Collide
by Tripp Hazzard
Summary: Kyokou and Ren are in Karakura town for filming disguised as the Heel siblings once again. When Kyokou comes across Ichigo Kurosaki bleeding out in the street, her world is turned upside down. Held against their will, Ren and Kyokou are faced with the impossible. What will they do when they come to realize that they have supernatural powers, and will they learn to control them?
1. Prologue

I do not own Bleach or Skip Beat

. . .

Prologue – An Unfortunate Meeting

Kyokou Mogami walked down the street, grocery bags swinging on her arms as she made her way back to the hotel she and Ren were sharing, once more playing the role of the Heel siblings. He was filming in Karakura town this time, a little town Kyokou had never heard of, and playing the role of a deadly Yakuza. Kyokou shivered, frightened by the memory of the look on Ren's face earlier that afternoon while on set. He had decided to use aspects of her character Mio as the foundation for his new character in the film. His bone chilling smile of pure hatred had frozen all but his beloved Setsu. He had really looked like he was a crazed, blood thirsty Yakuza.

Because it was dark, she wasn't really paying attention to where she was going, and so didn't hear the sound of fighting just ahead of her until she rounded the corner and saw them. She stopped dead in her tracks. There were four people before her. One was a boy about her age with vibrant orange hair dressed in some sort of weird black kimono and holding a sword as long as he was tall. Challenging the orange haired boy was a man with spiky red hair and tattoos all over, wielding a sword that seemed to extend like a slinky toy. Watching the battle was a tall, severe looking man with long black hair held in place with silver clips. Beside this man stood a girl about Kyokou's age with short black hair and wearing a simple dress.

The orange haired boy seemed to be wounded, and struggling to fend off the other man. Kyokou closed her eyes and shook her head. Surely she was dreaming! However, when she opened her eyes, all four of these odd people were still there. The orange haired boy managed to fend off the red headed man, but was visibly exhausted from the effort. Despite this, he smirked and prepared to attack again.

It happened before Kyokou could register what was happening; the tall man moved, and in the blink of an eye he stabbed the boy twice. The orange haired boy seemed as surprised as Kyokou was, toppling over, his sword falling from his hands, broken. That's when impossible things began to happen. The boy could still move, but the girl scolded him, for some reason telling him not to come after her. They were leaving him alive, but could he really live with such injuries?

With a scream, Kyokou ran to his side, whipping out her cell phone and dialing Ren, barely registering that the other three had vanished through an odd looking door that seemed to appear out of nowhere. She begged for Ren to pick up while the orange haired boy groaned, attempting to lift himself up. With her free hand, Kyokou pushed him down, whispering, "Don't move. Help will be on the way soon."

The boy looked up at her. "How . . . can you see . . . me?" he huffed, trying to rise up on his hands again.

 _Of course I can see you,_ Kyokou thought, holding him down, but Ren picked up before she could answer the boy.

"What is it, Setsu? Did you get lost?" Cain Heel asked, startling Kyokou. She'd forgotten; they were in character. "Setsu? Are you there?"

"Yes," Kyokou answered, dazed. "Cain, you must come quickly," she said, trying to get back into character, but failing when she looked back down at the orange haired boy. "There's a boy here bleeding out in the street! You have to come help me!"

"Where are you!?" It was Ren now. "Kyokou, answer me, where are you!?"

Kyokou looked around for a way to describe where she was, but completely forgot everything about being in character when another odd looking man approached her. Ren was yelling desperately in her ear now, but she barely heard him, captivated by the newcomer. A fan covered the lower half of his face, and the upper half of his face was mostly obscured by a bizarre, striped, green hat. He was dressed in green, and the clogs he wore echoed loudly against the pavement. The fan moved away from his face, revealing an amused smile that sent chills down Kyokou's spine.

"Interesting," the man said. He brushed past Kyokou, who sat frozen in place. "My, my, Ichigo Kurosaki. What a pickle you've gotten yourself in."

The orange haired boy grunted, also looking up at the new comer with as much confusion as Kyokou felt.

"Kyokou!" Ren practically screamed. "Answer me, dammit!"

Startled, Kyokou returned to the phone. "Sorry, I –"

The phone was ripped out of her hand and tossed aside, shattering a short distance away. "I'm afraid I can't let him find you," the newcomer said, his face now stern. "You'll have to come with me, Miss Kyokou. My apologies, but I need to know how you came across the Kurosaki boy here, and why you have such high spirit pressure."

Kyokou blinked up at him. "Wh . . . what? Who are you?"

"That can wait," the odd man said. "Tessai! Assistance, please."

Kyokou jumped, startled when a rather large man in an apron appeared, his hair pulled back in small braids. He nodded to the strange man who seemed to be in command and easily through the orange haired boy over his shoulder. It seemed that by this point the youth had passed out from his injuries. Kyokou looked back to the odd man who was now studying her with a glint in his eyes. In a blur of movement, he moved, and she felt a sharp pain at the base of her neck before she too passed out.

Kisuke Urahara picked her now lifeless form up and nodded to Tessai. "Let's go."

"What do you plan to do with her?" Tessai asked, concerned.

"I don't know yet," he said, glancing down at her. For a girl so concerned about the boy's welfare, she was dressed very oddly. Her clothes were dark and very revealing. Her boots jangled and she had a piercing in her ear and lip that was connected by a thin chain that also had a cross on it. Her hair was blonde, tinged with pinks and blues. All in all, she looked like some odd goth/punk girl, and she was very out of place here in Karakura town. What was her interest in a boy she shouldn't have been able to see? And why did she exude such high spiritual power?

Smiling, Kisuke decided he would find out later when she woke up. For now, they just needed to take care of Ichigo Kurosaki.


	2. Chapter One - Panic

I do not own Bleach or Skip Beat

Chapter One – Panic

Ren slammed his fist against the hotel wall, shaking. Kyokou had been out of character, which meant something really bad had happened. Her acting abilities had grown to a point where she _never_ broke character unless under great duress. He had heard panic in her voice, and she'd said there was a boy bleeding in the street. She'd also been distracted, but by what? And why had she ended the call so abruptly? He had tried dialing her back, but had only gotten the dumb machine that said her number was now out of service.

Spinning on his heel, Ren grabbed his jacket, yanking it on as he crashed into the hallway. As he half ran through the hotel's atrium people jumped out of his way, wide eyed. They were seeing Cain Heel, the cold, indifferent, foreign actor running through the atrium like a madman with a look on his face that said "if looks could kill." As soon as he made it onto the street, he began running, using his phone to locate Kyokou's last known location. Karakura town was unfamiliar, and he got turned around several times before finding the street his GPS led to. It didn't help that it was now raining either. Nobody was there. Kyokou was gone.

Spinning, he searched the street for clues. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted it; her phone lay in pieces at the side of the road, the pink plastic shattered and the screen cracked. Her groceries lay a short distance away, looking as though they had been dropped. He picked up the pieces of her phone, feeling numb. How had this happened?

Just an hour ago, Kyokou had walked out of the apartment, giving a very Setsu-like smirk as she told him she was going to get groceries for breakfast in the morning. He had been surprised when she'd called too; it wasn't like Kyokou to get lost, or for Setsu to call. What had happened to her? How had her phone ended up like this? Had she been kidnapped?

 _You know you can't pretend nothing's wrong,_ a voice whispered in his head. _You have to find her._ Ren stared down the street, wishing more than anything that Kuon would shut up. He had to think about this logically, and Kuon was not a logical person.

"Can I help you?"

Ren looked up; the speaker, a middle aged man, jumped back in surprise. _That's right,_ Ren remembered, _I'm Cain Heel. I'm frightening to everyone but Setsu._ "Yes, actually," Ren said softly. "I'm looking for my sister." Ren stood up, towering over the poor man who now stood quivering. "She's about this tall, wearing black, with a piercing in her lip and colorful hair." He motioned with his hand to indicate her height.

The man shook his head. "Sorry, no. I haven't seen anyone like that." Then he ran off.

Ren slowly made his way down the street, growing more and more jittery. Where _was_ she?

. . .

Kyokou had a headache. She blinked and sat up, covering her eyes with her hand as the light blinded her. How had she gotten inside? She looked around the room, puzzled. She seemed to be in the back room of a shop. Scrambling to her feet, Kyokou panicked. She remembered; she'd watched a boy get stabbed, and then a strange man in clogs had appeared. He had broken her phone and then told her she couldn't leave. When she had tried to run . . . it was all black and she couldn't remember. Had she been kidnapped by the stranger?

"Ah, you're awake," the man's voice said from behind her.

Kyokou took a moment to turn around. Taking a deep breath, she dove into the character of Setsu. She turned to face her kidnapper, crossing her arms across her chest and striking a very Setsu-ish pose. She could see that her glare startled him, but only for a moment before a smile flashed across his face.

"Very interesting," he said, pushing away from the door frame where he was leaning. "You're spirit pressure just spiked."

Kyokou had no idea what he was talking about, but she wasn't about to be thrown out of character again. "My brother will find me. Not that I can't take care of myself, but you _really_ don't want to get on my brother's bad side." Setsu smiled coyly.

"Hmmm . . ." the man said, the interest clear on his face.

"Can I go now?" Setsu said, boredom ringing in her voice.

"Don't you want to know why I brought you hear?"

She didn't like the mocking tone in his voice. "I don't really care," she said, taking a step towards the man.

He blocked the door. "I'm afraid I can't let you leave . . . Kyokou, was it?"

Setsu blinked. "That's not my name." She tried brushing past him, but he blocked her. She let her irritation show on her face. Why was he holding her here?

"I've already told you; I can't let you leave. I need some answers, and you," he said, jabbing his fan towards her, "will tell me what I need to know."

Setsu turned on her heel and sat down against the far wall. Her brother would come for her. "I don't know anything."

"A challenge," the man smiled. "You fascinate me."

Setsu chose not to answer, but gave him an icy glare.

"Don't you want to know if the Kurosaki boy is alright?"

 _Yes,_ the inner Kyokou thought, but Setsu had the spotlight. She shrugged, a simple roll of her shoulders.

"Well, he's fine. Tessai is healing him as we speak. So, time for my questions. Why were you with the Kurosaki boy?"

Silence.

"I know you could see him. However, you're not a Shinigami, so there has to be another reason why your spirit energy is so high."

Setsu listened to him muse out loud, playing with a strand of her hair. He had used words she wasn't familiar with. What was a Shinigami? Why was he so interested in spirit energy? He reminded her of the dreaded Beagle who had stalked her when she'd played the part of Mio.

"Ah," the man said, causing Setsu to look up, scowling. "There it is again. You're spirit pressure spiked. Something I said triggered it."

"I've no idea what you're talking about," Setsu huffed, examining her nails.

"I believe you."

The man turned and walked out of the room, leaving Setsu alone. She waited, listening as his footsteps faded. She waited a little longer before releasing a pent up breath. She let the Setsu act drop, and then Kyokou began to panic. She had to get out of here and find the police. More importantly, she needed to find Ren.

. . .

"The boy's resting now," Tessai reported, joining Kisuke in the back room where the man pored over computer screens. "How is the girl?"

"Difficult," Kisuke said, tapping away at a keyboard, "and very interesting. Her spirit pressure is like none I've ever seen before. Even now her spirit pressure has dropped since I left the room, but on occasion it will flare up again. She has remarkable control, but at the same time, it's like she doesn't know she's doing it."

Tessai grunted. He had felt the fluctuations in her pressure coming from the other room.

"Are the barriers up?"

"Of course."

"Double them. The girl will try to escape, and I don't want to underestimate her power."

"I understand."

Tessai walked out of the room and did as Kisuke asked, then went to sit guard outside the room where the girl was being held. Her spirit pressure fluctuated, and he could hear her moving about the room. At one point, he thought he could hear her talking to herself, but it stopped when Kisuke walked past the doorway to come check on the boy. Silence fell after that, and the only thing they could do was wait for her to cooperate.


	3. Chapter Two - Answers

Author's note: Hey everybody! Thank you so much for reading my first Fanfiction story! I'm so excited and happy with where this story is going and hope you will be too. I just briefly wanted to tell you all how grateful I am for your support as readers and for your reviews! Also, if you like this, I want to put a word in for another fanfic I'm helping co-write with a friend; please go check out "Sunshine in the Darkness," an epic Bleach fanfic that I know you'll all love! It's under the author name Frozen in Idaho, and it's my favorite story to work on aside from this one. Check it out! And thanks again for reading J

I do not own Bleach or Skip Beat

Chapter Two – Answers

Ren pulled his phone away from his ear, grinding his teeth as he listened to the whimpering of the director. He had more important things to do than argue with this man; it had been hours since Kyokou had disappeared, and Ren was getting desperate. He'd barged into every shop, knocked on as many doors as he could, and even sat in the police station for a bit after they'd received complaints that he was causing a domestic disturbance. None of them understood; Kyokou had been kidnapped!

"I don't care about the movie anymore," Ren snarled. "Setsu is missing! My sister is missing! Don't you understand? I'm going to find her. That's more important than your stupid movie."

Ren snapped the phone shut and turned it off. The President had called too; Ren had answered his questions through gritted teeth, not wanting to hear President Lory's nonsense about his emotions getting in the way of his acting. If she didn't turn up soon and the President caught wind of her disappearance, the entire company would go into a panic. Thankfully, no one outside the company knew who she really was, so the press couldn't get ahold of her disappearance.

He took to the streets again. He had to find her, but where could she be?

. . .

Setsu sat in her prison sulking. It was getting harder for her to act nonchalant, and so she openly glared now whenever Kisuke or Tessai walked past. The boy had woken up just before dawn, and more confusing words were exchanged with him and the man in the hat. As she listened from her room, she learned that her kidnapper's name was Kisuke Urahara and that the boy's name was Ichigo Kurosaki.

Ichigo was in a panic when he spoke to Urahara, who told the boy that he had allowed Ichigo to fight in order to fail and learn the difference in power between him and the other Shinigami. It appeared that the odd men Kyokou had seen were kidnapping the dark haired girl, who was a friend of Ichigo's. They then spoke of training and preparing to save the dark haired girl. It was all nonsense to Kyokou.

Ichigo was then allowed to leave after promising Kisuke that he would return that night to begin training. Setsu didn't understand anything about what was going on; the only thing she cared about right now was that Ichigo was allowed to leave, and she wasn't.

"Why are you holding me here?" Setsu asked, sass evident in her voice. "How come he gets to leave?"

Kisuke just smiled a wicked smile from the doorway. "I still need answers from you."

Setsu really hated this man with his hat and his clogs. The only other people that had ever made her (Kyokou) feel this way were Shotaro and the Beagle.

"You're spirit pressure has risen again. Care if I guess the reason why?"

"Be my guest," Setsu said acidly. "I still don't know what you're talking about."

"It seems to me that your spirit pressure is tied to your emotions. When you're angry, your pressure spikes. Same thing happens when you're feeling compassionate, like when you found young Ichigo last night."

Setsu scowled at him. "So?"

"Either you have a great deal of control over your spirit pressure, or you are entirely ignorant of the way your emotions affect other people."

Setsu didn't respond. Inwardly, however, Kyokou was flashing through the times she'd lost control of her emotions, particularly when she was angry. Her best friend, Moko, had been held down by Kyokou's inner demons when Kyokou had learned that she would be joining the Love Me Section. The Beagle had tricked her into revealing her inner demons, catching one in order to coerce Kyokou into giving him a valentine's day chocolate. These were unpleasant memories, but Kyokou had eventually learned control.

"It fluctuates," Kisuke continued. "That's what I'm most interested in. Ichigo Kurosaki has friends who are very much like you, but their power manifests itself in unique ways. I want to see the manifestation of your power. It's much stronger than that of his friends' powers currently."

Setsu huffed, her arms crossed, leaning casually against the wall. "Why should I believe you? You're holding me against my will. My brother is coming to get me, and then it won't matter if you get your answers."

"Brother, huh? I did sense another presence, but it wasn't nearly as strong as yours. Think that could be him?"

"Brother is much stronger than I am," Setsu laughed. Her eyes flashed. "I'm the only thing he cares about, and you've made a big mistake holding me here. He will find me, and then he will kill you."

"We'll see," Kisuke said, responding with an equally evil look. "I'll wait as long as it takes."

He left Setsu alone again. She listened to his footsteps fade away before relaxing. Kyokou looked around the room again, desperately trying to come up with a way to escape. Ichigo had just walked out as if this was an everyday experience. Whatever had happened to him last night, he was determined to have a rematch against the men who had attacked him. The kid had guts. Kyokou sighed and slid down the wall in defeat. It was no use. There was no way for her to escape Kisuke's demon magic . . . unless . . .

Kyokou let her hatred come to a boil and looked up at the window. Was there a way she could break the window and climb out? She could feel her spirits gathering around her as she contemplated it. She couldn't make a sound, but if it were possible . . .

"Break the window," she whispered. "Do it quietly. Don't get caught."

. . .

Ichigo felt weird going back to school. His sisters didn't question that he hadn't come home last night, nor had his dad. He walked slowly to school, brooding on the events of the night before and the odd girl that had come to him afterwards. She had seen him in his Shinigami form, but that should have been impossible! Ichigo shook his head and kicked a rock that was in his way.

"Hey, kid," a low voice called.

Ichigo looked up, tensing to fight, and found himself looking up into the eyes of a tall, dark haired, yakuza looking man in a long, black coat. Automatically, Ichigo took a defensive stance. "I don't want any trouble," Ichigo spat.

A thin eyebrow arched and the man scowled. "Who said I wanted a fight? I'm looking for someone and was wondering if you'd seen her."

Ichigo looked the man over. He was dressed all in black, and the look in his eyes was the look of a ruthless killer. "What's she look like?" Ichigo asked warily.

The man indicated her height and then began to describe the girl that Ichigo had met the night before. What was his interest in her?

"Her name's Setsu," the man added.

Ichigo didn't know the girl's name, but the description matched her perfectly. What did this guy want with her? Was he stalking her? Is that why she had been out so late last night? "I haven't seen her," Ichigo said slowly, "but I don't think it's a good idea to tell the likes of you where she is even if I had seen her."

Before he knew it, Ichigo was being slammed against the building wall and a crazed look had overcome the man's face. "You're lying. Tell me where my sister is," The man snarled.

 _Sister?_ Ichigo thought. _No way were these two siblings._ "Let go of me!" Ichigo yelled, glaring right back at the man. "I already told you, I haven't seen her!"

The man's fist slammed next to Ichigo's head, and his wounds here starting to ache. "Tell me where she is, kid, or I'll have to beat it out of you. My sister . . ."

Ichigo was surprised by the anguish in the man's voice.

"Setsu is everything to me. If I lose her . . . it's like I've lost the thing that makes me human."

"I'm sorry . . ." Ichigo said.

The man stepped back, releasing him. "I need to find her," he whispered.

Ichigo stared after him as the man walked off down the street unknowingly in the general direction of Urahara's shop. Shaking his head, Ichigo began heading to school again. Nothing made sense to him anymore. Rukia was gone; she'd been taken back to the Soul Society to be executed because of him. That girl, Setsu, had appeared out of nowhere and had _seen him_ as a Shinigami. Now this guy had come out of nowhere, looking for the mysterious girl who had seen him last night. It gave Ichigo a headache.


	4. Chapter Three - Challenger

I do not own Bleach or Skip Beat

Chapter Three – Challenger

Setsu had managed to escape through the window, but once she'd rounded the corner into the main yard, she'd run into Tessai and a redheaded boy name Jinta, cleaning. She had dug her feet into the ground as Tessai dragged her back to the shop until he threw her over his shoulder like a doll while Jinta laughed and ran ahead to tell Kisuke. Struggling, she managed to pull off one of her lace gloves and throw it just outside the yard. _Find me, Ren,_ she thought, fighting back tears.

Not long after, she had dozed off, but a knock on the doorframe woke her before she could fall into a deep sleep. Kisuke stood in the doorway, eyes glinting. She turned in an attempt to ignore him, but the voice of a small girl made her freeze.

"You wanted my help, Mr. Urahara?"

"Yes, Ururu. Will you help me take Ms. Kyokou downstairs, please?"

Setsu glared at the little girl and snapped at Kisuke, "That's not my name."

"Well until you tell me your name that is what I will call you." He gave one of his trademark smiles behind that cursed fan of his.

"Please come with me Ms.," Ururu said, attempting to take Setsu's hand, but Setsu withdrew glaring at the girl. Ururu retracted her hand and looked at Kisuke.

"Oh, Jinta!" Kisuke called in a sing-song voice, eyes on Setsu's face. Jinta appeared in the doorway as well.

"Move it, Ururu. I'll handle this."

Setsu remained stone-like, but internally, Kyokou was emitting hate waves towards the man watching from the doorway. Setsu tried glaring at the boy, but unlike the girl, he just smiled a wicked smile and wrapped his arms under her shoulders. Ururu came around Setsu's other side and grabbed her legs. Together, they dragged her from the room.

 _Control,_ Kyokou told herself as her inner demons began to swarm around her. _I don't want him to catch any of you the way Beagle did. Don't show yourselves._ It was difficult, but she stayed in control. It was infuriating that two children were dragging her through the shop like a rag doll, despite her struggles. They were stronger than they looked. Tessai was waiting for them in another room. As they approached, he bent and opened a door in the ground. _No!_ Kyokou panicked. _Don't throw me down there in the dark!_ She began to struggle harder against her captives, eyes widening in panic.

"Down here, you'll have lots of space," Kisuke said, giddy with whatever scheme he had in mind. "I'll leave Ururu and Jinta to play with you until Ichigo gets back."

Setsu threw a hateful glance at Kisuke before vanishing down into the room below the shop. What was below was not what she expected though. The children released her and commanded her to climb down into a vast room that seemed to stretch for miles in every direction, covered in rolling sand dunes and giant boulders. The ceiling overhead was blue like the sky outside. The room was impossible! There was no way anything like this could exist below the tiny shop Kisuke ran!

Once she reached the ground, Ururu apologized and backed away from Setsu. Her prison had changed, but now she had an even lower chance of escaping from her kidnappers. Even worse, he had trusted children to be her wardens until Ichigo came back for his training.

Setsu looked around the vast room again, stepping away from the ladder as she did so. Again, she couldn't help thinking that this room was impossible. She turned to face her new wardens and discovered that Jinta had somehow acquired a large bat that was twice his size. He casually leaned against it, guarding the way back up into the shop. Ururu was sitting on a rock a short distance away and had a book open in her lap.

 _Great,_ Setsu thought. More and more, Kyokou's feelings were beginning to merge with Setsu's. Setsu was humiliated by the way she'd been dragged and forced to climb down to this room, and Kyokou was furious that she was in this kind of situation _again._ Why couldn't normal things happen to her like all the other actors? Trouble just seemed to find her.

. . .

Ren was growing ever more frustrated as the day wore on. There was no sign of Kyokou, but after running into that weird orange haired boy, he had felt that she was close. He kept looping the same streets and asking everyone he came across if they had seen "Setsu." None of them had, and Ren had taken his aggravation out on yet another wall. When he did find her, he knew she'd have a fit over the bruises across his knuckles.

Sighing, he leaned against the wall and looked around the street once again, wondering where to look next. The sun was beginning to set, and he was running out of time. A flash of orange across the street caught his eye; it was the same kid from earlier! Trusting his instincts, he followed the boy. They wove through alleyways to an obscure little area that Ren never would have found on his own. The boy walked into the shop while Ren watched from a distance.

Once the boy went inside, Ren approached warily, a sick feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. As he approached the main yard of the shop, he noticed something on the ground. Stooping low, he discovered a black lace glove; it was from one of the sets he had previously bought "Setsu" when they'd gone out and wasted time the last time they had played the Heel siblings. She'd been wearing them last night. Ren looked up at the shop, Kuon raging in his ears. _She's inside,_ Kuon laughed gleefully in Ren's head. _We found her._

. . .

Kisuke stared at his monitors; it wasn't possible, and yet the readings he was seeing couldn't be a miscalculation. The girl was down in the training room with Ururu and Jinta, her spiritual pressure gathered around her like a pulsating mist. Ichigo had just walked into the shop and was being greeted by Tessai, but his spiritual pressure was so weak at this point that his machines barely registered Ichigo's presence. So what was this immense spiritual pressure outside his shop? The girl's words echoed in his ears: " _Brother is much stronger than me . . . He will find me, and then he will kill you."_

Kisuke read the data again. _Was this the girl's brother?_ Whoever it was outside his shop, Kisuke had never seen spirit pressure like this. The girl had been right. He was strong, and he had found them just as she had predicted. "Well, Kisuke," he mused out loud to himself, "you told her you wanted a challenge, and here it is."

. . .

Ren crashed through the front doors, "Setsu's" glove gripped tightly in his hand. He scanned the room for signs of Kyokou and then slowly made his way to the back.

"Did you have to break my doors?"

Ren spun to find an oddly dressed man watching him from the doorway. "Where is she?" he demanded. "Where are you hiding her?"

"My, my," the man said, unfolding a fan so that it obscured the lower half of his face. His hat left the rest of his face in shadow due to the dim lights of the shop. "What terrible manners. You could at least tell me your name and apologize for ruining my doors." He stepped forward, his clogs echoing in the tiny room.

"I don't have time for games," Ren growled. "What have you done with her?"

"I don't have a clue who you're speaking of."

The man in the clogs watched as the young man struggled for words. There was an aura around Ren that suggested a barely contained violence. "I'll ask you one more time," Ren said in the deadliest of voices. "I'm beginning to lose patience. Where is she? What have you done with my sister?"

. . .

Kisuke watched the young man as he began to advance. The spiritual pressure felt more like that of a hollow than a Shinigami, but this boy was human. Even if he did have the aura of a hollow, a human wouldn't be able to withstand such immense power. However, the readings on his monitor indicated that the girl down below had a very similar spirit pressure to this man who was claiming her to be his sister. By appearances, there was no way that these two could possibly be siblings, but Kisuke knew looks could be deceiving.

"You're sister? I've never met anyone like you, I'm afraid."

"She's here," the man said, thrusting his hand forward. He was holding out a lace glove that Kisuke recognized as belonging to the girl.

 _Clever girl,_ Kisuke thought. _So that's what you were doing when you broke my window. You took the other one off before Tessai brought you back in so that I would assume you had left them in the room. Very clever._ "Ah," he said aloud to the young man. "You caught me!" Kisuke swung around in a circle, arms spread wide. "Follow me."

The man didn't budge. "This isn't a game. Bring her to me."

"I can't. You have to come get her yourself."

Like a tiger trapped in a cage, the man warily followed Kisuke into the back of the shop.


	5. Chapter Four - Unrivaled

I do not own Bleach or Skip Beat

Chapter Four – Unrivaled

Ren couldn't believe his eyes. Where were they? The odd man had made him climb down a ladder into a room that was impossible. It shouldn't have existed, and yet here he stood in the dirt facing a vast desert landscape. There were other people here too. He recognized the orange haired kid, who looked like he wanted to ask the shop owner the same questions Ren did. There was another man there too, wearing an apron and had his hair braided back. Next to him stood two little kids, a boy with red hair and a girl with black hair. And a short distance away . . .

"Setsu!" Ren yelled, running to her. She turned around from where she sat on a rock, surprise painted across her face. She looked tired, but she didn't appear to be hurt. Actually, she looked mad. He could see the recognition on her face, but she then looked beyond him at the man wearing the hat and clogs. The pure hatred in her face made Ren freeze just a few steps away from her.

He turned and glared at the man too. The man was listening to the rantings and ravings of the orange haired boy. Ren had no idea what was going on. He was relieved that Kyokou was safe and that she had managed to maintain the role of "Setsu," but at the same time, he now felt like he too had become a prisoner to the man in the hat and clogs.

"Brother."

Ren turned to look at Setsu, who had regained her composure. She had stood up and put a hand on his arm, looking up at him now. Her expression had relaxed, but he could see the anger still raging behind her eyes. She wasn't as composed as she wanted him to believe.

"What are you going to do, now that you've found me?"

With her next to him now, it was easy to slip back into the role of Cain Heel. He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. "Don't worry me like that ever again. We're going to get out of here."

"How? I've already tried to escape once."

"I'm here now."

Setsu drew back and smiled, a devious smile he understood all too well. Her eyes caught his attention again, distracting him. She was in character, but her eyes showed the fear she had been feeling over the past twenty-four hours. He knew Setsu and Kyokou had merged into one person, sharing emotions and experiences. The only difference between them was their reactions. If she weren't in character right now, Kyokou would have cried.

"Are you kidding me?!" the orange haired boy was yelling. "I'm not going to fight a little girl!"

. . .

Kisuke had decided to ignore the "siblings" little reunion and turn his attention to Ichigo, but he watched them out of the corner of his eye to see how they would respond to the situation. He had thought that the black clad young man would be relieved to see the girl, and he was right, but the man's spirit pressure was still at maximum strength. He could feel both his and the girl's power pulsating from where he stood. The two seemed to feed off of each other's powers as well. Her pressure was building the longer she stood next to the newcomer, and her hateful glare was disturbing.

Ichigo, however, was totally ignorant of what was happening just a short distance away. Kisuke had shoved the boy out of his body and now had Ururu facing off with him. He could tell that the chain of fate disturbed Ichigo, but the boy reacted to the training just as Kisuke had expected he would. He ran now, dodging Ururu's strikes until eventually he reached the conclusion that he could stand and dodge her without aimlessly through the dunes. The siblings were watching the interaction with confused expressions. Kisuke knew that the girl could see Ichigo's spirit form, and it appeared that the newcomer could see Ichigo as well. Kisuke acted as if he had forgotten they were there, answering Ichigo's distressed yells in a manner that he knew would continue to irritate the youth and goad him into action.

He saw the strike coming; Ichigo made contact and grazed Ururu's cheek. He had passed the first test. Tessai had already moved to get Ichigo while he went to stop Ururu from striking a fatal blow.

"It's over," he told Ichigo.

"What are you talking about? I lost!" Ichigo shouted.

"I never said you had to win. Tell me, are you breathing better now?"

"Huh? Oh! Oh, yeah! I feel fine."

"Good. We can celebrate by beginning the second test."

Tessai cut through Ichigo's chain of fate, causing Ichigo to yell. The kid was always yelling. "Get off of me!" the kid shouted again, flailing under Tessai, who was preparing to bind Ichigo's arms for the next phase.

"In order to pass phase two, you either need to become a soul reaper once more, or you will become a hollow. If you become a hollow, Ichigo, you will die."

The kid looked up at Kisuke in wide-eyed horror, and then gave a wide grin. "Let's do this."

Kisuke smiled and pointed his fan at Ichigo. "Let's go!"

The pit Ururu had dug for this particular phase of Ichigo's training appeared beneath the boy who then fell with Tessai still on top of him. Kisuke listened for them to reach the bottom with a thud and then turned his attention to the siblings. They had been watching the events of Ichigo's training unravel up to this point, but now were making their way to the ladder leading back to his shop hand in hand. Something about the newcomer still disturbed Kisuke, and so he hurried to block them from leaving, not that they would get through the barriers he had put up. Tessai was very gifted with kido, but Kisuke felt that he would have to make the barriers himself in order to retain these two enigmas.

. . .

Ren froze, pulling Kyokou behind him. They were still in character . . . well, Setsu was . . . and so the harsh glare he gave to the man in the hat was expected. Their captor leaned casually against the ladder rungs, fan obscuring his face again. Why was this man so intent on keeping them here?

"Move," Ren said. "I came to get her, and now we're leaving."

"Rude once again," the man chuckled. "This is my place, and you'll leave when I say you can leave. That means, for now, you will come and watch the boy. You might learn something."

Setsu pushed past Ren and glared at the man in the hat. "We said we're leaving."

The man sighed. "And I've been treating you so well."

Ren watched as the man pointed at them, mumbling some nonsense, and then . . . he couldn't move! Setsu seemed to be trapped by an odd yellow contraption that glowed, locking her arms at her sides. Unlike Setsu, Ren was wrapped in thick black bands locked in place by silver spikes. What was this witchcraft?! Ren struggled against his bindings, but it was no use.

"Hmmm . . ." the man said, examining his handiwork. "I think that will do, for now. Jinta! Some assistance once again, please."

"Coming!" the red haired boy called, running over to their odd group. He snickered when he saw how Ren was tied up and shoved him back. "The show is just beginning," the kid said happily.

Ren glared at the man as he led Setsu over to the pit. He was proud, however, that she refused to let him guide her, and so stormed ahead of him, head held high. When they reached the side of the pit, the man released Setsu's bindings, leaving Ren bound as they awkwardly peered into the hole.

"Ichigo!" the man yelled down. "Your job is to climb up the shattered shaft before you run out of your chain of fate. You have seventy-two hours before the encroachment is over, and if you are not out by then, we will have no choice but to kill you."

Ren blinked in surprise. They would kill a boy just because he failed a test. And then it clicked. The boy had seventy two hours to climb out of the pit. That meant he and Kyokou would be trapped with this crazy man for three days! Ren began to fight his restraints again, which seemed to amuse the man in the hat for some reason. It was useless though. Setsu lay her hand on his restrained arm and shook her head.

"It's no use, brother," she said in English, flicking a nasty look back at the man in the hat. "He wants something from us, and he's trying to force us to give him what he wants."

"What does he want?" Ren asked, incredulous.

Setsu looked at the man. "He wants the same thing of us that he wants from the boy down there."

Ren looked into the pit once more as the orange haired boy ran at the wall, hands restrained behind his back much like Ren's were. The kid had a look of determination on his face that Ren had seen on Kyokou's face many times. He was determined to make it out of the pit alive, just as Kyokou was determined to master the roles she played with her growing fame. Ren sat down and watched the boy, wondering what the man in the hat had meant when he's told Ren he might learn something.

. . .

Setsu watched Ren as he gave up struggling against his restraints and finally gave in, sitting down to watch Ichigo's struggles down below. She pitied him; he'd come to her rescue, which she was grateful for, but had become just as trapped as she was in doing so. He had no idea what was going on and Kisuke had offered him no explanation about the bizarre events. For some unknown reason, Kisuke had suddenly shown interest in Ren, and it made her feel sick. There was nothing she could do without alerting Kisuke to her actions. He was interested in her demons the same way Beagle was, and she didn't dare release them in front of him.

Frustrated, she sat beside Ren, leaning against him the way Setsu always did when they were together and watched Ichigo struggle down below. She knew that if she were in his position, she'd be forced to use her demons to raise her to the top of the pit; the image was unpleasant. Slowly, she was beginning to understand Kisuke's absurd vocabulary. She still didn't know what a Shinigami was, and she didn't know the term "hollow" that he had used either, but she was beginning to understand his obsession with spirits. Ichigo's physical body lay where Kisuke had forced Ichigo's spirit out, and it was Ichigo's spirit form that was struggling down below. She didn't want to think about what would happen if Kisuke attempted to do the same thing to her.

. . .

Kisuke watched the siblings, fanning himself while Jinta and Ururu went upstairs to tend to their chores. He had asked them to bring food down later. The siblings were human, after all, and would need to eat to keep up their strength. He'd offered the girl food earlier, but she had refused it. They were watching Ichigo now, seemingly giving up thoughts of escape. The young man had called the girl "Setsu," when he'd first been reunited with her. He seemed relaxed now with her leaning against him. Something about their interactions was abnormal for brother and sister, but Kisuke dismissed the abnormality and was content to just study them.

He had been amused when Setsu had calmed her "brother," speaking in accented English. Was the English a ploy? Or was that how they naturally spoke to each other? They both spoke fluent Japanese, and yet the English seemed to come naturally to the young man. Kisuke smiled as he watched them. Setsu hadn't slept much since she had woken up after Kisuke had brought her to his shop. Before long, she fell asleep against her brother's arm. The young man shifted until her head rested in his lap, his eyes fixed intently on Ichigo down below.

Kisuke had been right to restrain the young man. Setsu was loyal to her brother. She wouldn't attempt an escape now if it meant leaving him behind. Her spirit pressure was now a thin layer swirling thickly over her skin while her brother's seemed to envelope both of them. The more he watched, the more excited Kisuke became at the prospect of learning the secret behind their powers. They weren't like Ichigo, they were completely human, but they weren't like any other human Kisuke had come across. The uniqueness of their spirit pressures was unrivaled.


	6. Chapter Five - Hollowfication

I do not own Bleach or Skip Beat

Chapter Five – Hollowfication

Setsu woke up from another short nap, finding her head in Ren's lap once again. She had lost track of time in this subterranean room, but every now and again Kisuke would shout down a warning to Ichigo that time was running out. Ichigo would always yell back up at him, still with that same determination in his voice. His courage was admirable, but it was true, he was running out of time. Ren watched him, almost as if willing Ichigo to prove Kisuke wrong and conquer this challenge. Setsu, however, had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach each time Kisuke remarked on the passing time.

"Are you hungry?" Ren asked, speaking in English. _Right,_ Kyokou thought, _he's as much in character as I am. He's Cain Heel._

They had come to a silent agreement that neither of them wanted Kisuke to know who they really were. "Have you eaten?" was Setsu's response.

He looked at her. "I was waiting for you."

Setsu looked at Ren's bound arms and felt another wave of hatred towards Kisuke. She had to feed Ren because he couldn't feed himself. Setsu didn't mind hand feeding her brother, but it was beginning to annoy Kyokou. Why hadn't Kisuke released the bindings yet?

"Feeling hungry yet, Ichigo?" Jinta taunted, waving food over the edge of the pit.

Setsu looked up, listening as Ichigo yelled back: "I'm in my soul form! Why the heck would I be getting hungry?"

Jinta smiled. "Well that's good to hear because I'll let you in on a little secret! If you start to get hungry in soul form, that means you're just one step away from becoming a hollow."

As Jinta taunted him, Ichigo continued to yell threats from the bottom of the pit. Ren stirred, eyes fixed on the boy down below again. Setsu turned to study his face. Kisuke had told them that they might learn something if they watch Ichigo struggle, but so far she had only learned that spirits turned into monsters if their soul chains were eaten up before they passed on. What did this have to do with her and Ren? But it seemed that Ren had taken the man's words seriously because he studied Ichigo the way he studied a script.

"Come on," she whispered to him, finding the food Jinta had brought to them while she was asleep. She held a bite up to his mouth. "You need to eat, brother."

He turned to look at her. He was the same old Ren, hardly eating a bite unless you practically shoved it down his throat. She had to coax him into eating every bite, eating as she did so. When they were finished, he turned his attention back to the pit. With a sigh, she did too.

. . .

Ichigo looked up as Jinta ran down the side of the pit, a tray of food in his hands. Had the boy come to taunt him again?

"Hey, you must be getting hungry," Jinta said, placing the tray of food on the ground. "You tend to lose track of time down here."

Ichigo rolled to his knees. "The way I see it, I still have plenty of links left," he said, his voice full of his usual cockiness.

"It's been over seventy hours," Jinta said, suddenly serious. "Most souls begin turning into hollows by now." He turned to walk away and climb out of the pit, but paused and looked back. "By the way, the final encroachment is nothing like the others."

Ichigo looked down and found that the rest of the links in his chest were quickly vanishing. "No, STOP!" he yelled, but it was no use. They quickly shattered, and the transformation began.

. . .

Ren leaned forward; something had changed. The red haired boy, Jinta, had ran down the side of the pit and now he was hastily climbing back out. Ren had learned all of their names now. Kisuke was their captor, then there was Jinta and Ururu, the two kids, and Tessai was the man down in the pit with the orange haired kid, Ichigo. Ichigo was yelling again, but it was a yell of horror this time.

"I have to go help him," Ururu said, sitting up.

"Wait," Kisuke told the kids, briefly looking in Ren's direction. "Usually when a whole becomes a hollow, they disperse and reform. Ichigo's fighting it. If we wait, he might make it out. If not, he'll become a hollow and we'll have to act. Just wait for now."

Ren didn't like Kisuke at all, but he couldn't take his eyes away from Ichigo now. Beside him, Setsu had also tensed and watched Ichigo with wide eyes. Ren watched as a mask began to form over Ichigo's face as the boy screamed. Kisuke had said he was fighting whatever was happening to him, but it looked to Ren like he was losing. It sent chills down his back. The boy was bound similarly to himself, and Ren watched as the bands on the boy's arms began to break. Down below, Tessai was adding more restraints, struggling against whatever was happening to the boy.

"Be careful!" Jinta called down to Tessai.

Ren leaned forward, watching Ichigo like a starved animal. Then his vision began to swim. Laughter filled his ears.

"Brother!" Setsu's hand was on his chest, steadying him as he leaned over the edge of the pit.

 _You can feel it, can't you?_ Kuon laughed inside Ren's head. Ren blinked, trying to clear his vision. _The boy down there, he's just like me and you. He's fighting it, and he might even win, but you're running out of time, Ren Tsuruga. It won't be long before I break free and take over again._

 _SHUT UP!_ Ren yelled at the voice in his head, looking down at Ichigo again. Tessai couldn't contain him. There was an explosion of light, causing all of them to slide away from the edge of the pit. Something shot out, drawing all of their attention. It landed a short distance away in a cloud of dust. Ren turned to look, but his vision was swimming with dots as Kuon still mocked him. He just made out the image of Ichigo, now wearing a black kimono, with an odd looking mask obscuring his face. Then he blacked out.

. . .

"Ah," Kuon said. "You've finally come to keep me company."

Ren blinked, sitting up in a daze and looked around. He was in an alleyway, and leaning against the wall was . . . himself. Except it wasn't him, it was Kuon. It was dark out, just like that night when Kuon had taken over . . . the night Kuon had lost control.

"No," Ren whispered, scrambling to his feet. "Not again. Not you."

"Haven't you missed me?" Kuon said with a smile.

Ren backed out of the alleyway into the street. "Why am I here? Why are you here?"

"We need to have a talk."

"No," Ren shouted, turning to run. _This can't be happening,_ he thought. _I had Kuon under control. I chose HER. Where is she? Where's Kyokou? She can fix this!_

"She can't save you this time," Kuon said, sauntering out of the alleyway. "This is between me and you."

Ren spun around wildly, looking for an escape. "There is no you. Kuon doesn't exist anymore."

"Really? Want to test that theory?"

Ren turned to face him, panicking. "I'm not you. I don't want to be you."

"I've always been with you," Kuon said, speaking as if Ren where an idiot. "You can't just flip a switch and get rid of me. Kyokou's power has worked remarkably well over the last year or so, but she's not strong enough to suppress me for much longer."

"Her . . . power?"

"That's right. You locked me away, but surely you've noticed. She always brought you back. It's funny. She didn't seem to know she was doing it. You've relied too much on her abilities, though. The more you suppress me, the stronger I get."

Ren remembered when he had crashed the stunt car and Kyokou had run over, dressed up for a shoot, and brought him back with just a touch of her hand. Ever since that day, she'd been there for him, helping him hold Kuon back. She was his lucky charm; President Lory had told her to help him. How much had the President known?

"Ah, you're starting to put the puzzle together," Kuon said with another smile. The look in his eyes was bloodthirsty. "Are you ready then?"

"I won't let you take control." Ren had found his resolve. Kyokou had been there for him; it wouldn't be fair to her if he allowed this monster to take his place. "I won't let you hurt anyone else."

Kuon froze. "Perhaps I was wrong. Maybe she does still have an influence over you. It won't be enough. Go back to her. Before long, we'll talk again, and next time you won't be the one in control."

. . .

"Brother!"

Kisuke watched as Setsu knelt over the boy, cradling his head in her hands. As soon as Ichigo had escaped the pit, the young man had blacked out. The girl crying out was the same girl who had knelt by Ichigo when Byakuya Kuchiki had left him to bleed out in the street. Her spirit pressure flared, merging with the young man's spirit pressure, which was wildly fluctuating. Kisuke had never seen such a thing in a human.

As he watched, his kido broke, and the young man's arms were released. _I was right,_ Kisuke thought, observing. _His spirit pressure . . . no human can have that high of a spirit energy._ However, the only things Kisuke had to compare Ren's fluctuating spirit pressure to were powerful hollows and the Vizards. If he were to make this comparison, that would mean that the young boy was part hollow, and it was taking control. Since their spirit pressures were similar, that meant that the girl also had a hollow within her, but she had better control than her brother did.

The young man opened his eyes and reached up to the girl's face. Tears dripped down her cheeks and she punched his chest lightly. "Don't scare me like that," she whispered in English.

"I'm sorry," he answered, sitting up and pulling her into a hug.

She clung to him for a moment. Then she pulled away and looked over at Ichigo. He had drawn his broken sword and broken the mask with the hilt. The young man turned to see what had happened to Ichigo as well. Ichigo was not in a good mood.

"Aren't you supposed to be a hollow?" Jinta asked Ichigo.

"Seems you decided to become a soul reaper again," Kisuke said with a broad smile. "Lesson two, completed!"

"Shut up," Ichigo said, hitting Kisuke with the hilt of his broken sword.

"Oww!" Kisuke cried, couching on the ground.

"I swore to myself that if I made it out of that hole, I'd kill you the first chance that I got!"

Kisuke didn't miss the look of agreement on the siblings' faces as they watched this exchange from where they were crouched on the ground. Kisuke rose to his feet. "Looks like you're ready for lesson three! And this one has no time limit! Knock off my hat, and the lesson will be over."

Ichigo moved in a blur. Kisuke moved back just in time.

"Very good, considering your sword is broken."

Ichigo grinned. "This will be easy. We'll finish in five minutes."

"Five minutes, you say?" Kisuke smiled back and drew his sword out of his cane.


	7. Chapter Six - Identity

I do not own Bleach or Skip Beat

Chapter Six – Identity

Ren was shaking, but he tried to hide it from Kyokou. His conversation with Kuon had scared him, and he knew that the monster was right. Ren couldn't keep him under control for much longer. He needed help, and he couldn't rely on Kyokou to bring him back any more. He turned and watched as Kisuke drew a sword out of his cane and faced Ichigo. The orange haired kid was still holding his broken blade as if he could win with it. Surprised, Ren realized that whatever was happening to the boy, it wasn't over. There was still more to watch.

Kisuke struck, whispering threats to the boy who had a look of fear on his face for the first time. The kid began to run, but it was no use. Kisuke was there at every turn, and he was serious about killing Ichigo. After another few minutes, the boy suddenly stopped running. Kisuke paused too, watching him, and then took a stance to attack. Kisuke moved to the defensive as the boy yelled out a name, "Zangetsu!" and turned around to face his opponent. There was a bright flash of light.

"Very good," Kisuke said. "Now that you've managed to draw your Zanpakto, we can finally start lesson three. Are you ready for that?"

Ichigo's sword was huge, and it wasn't shaped like an ordinary sword. Ren watched the boy in awe as he answered Kisuke in a dark tone; "Don't take this the wrong way, Mr. Urahara, but I hope you dodge this. I don't think I can control this yet."

There was another flash of light as Ichigo swung his sword. Kisuke somehow managed to protect himself, but his hat went flying. Ren stared at the scene. What was this power? It was incredible! Is this why Kisuke had been threatening the boy? Perhaps the boy worked best under pressure. Kyokou had that in common with him. However, Kisuke was talking again.

"That wasn't very nice," he said, stooping to pick up his hat. "I do believe you've killed my hat." He placed it back on his head while looking to Ichigo, who knelt with the support of his sword. He seemed to have passed out and was sleeping where he sat. "Ichigo, you are one frightening kid, you know that? Lesson three, cleared."

It wasn't until then that Ren noticed the huge gash across the sand that Ichigo had created with just one swing of his sword. _Who is this kid,_ he thought.

Kisuke turned to face him and Setsu, who had sat frozen by Ren's side through the duration of the battle. "While he rests, it all comes back to you two. Ichigo's a pretty simple kid to understand, but you two are still a total mystery to me. You've just seen what can happen when you learn to control your power. Ready to learn to control yours?"

Before Ren could respond, Setsu stood and faced Kisuke. A dark aura seemed to shroud her as she stood protectively in front of Ren. He tried to grab her hand to pull her back, but she moved her hand out of his reach. "It's time for us to leave," she told Kisuke. "Whatever it is you're offering, we don't want it."

Ren's heart was racing. It was true; he wanted to take Kyokou with him and leave, but at the same time, after seeing what the boy had just gone through, he knew he couldn't leave without learning how to suppress Kuon again. "Setsu," he whispered, reaching for her hand again and taking it. She looked down at him, Kyokou shining through in her eyes. She wasn't worried about herself, Ren realized; she was worried about him.

"Perhaps that's true for you," Kisuke said, squarely meeting Setsu's eyes, "but he won't be okay if he leaves right now. Isn't that right?"

Ren met his gaze for a moment and lowered his head, ashamed.

"Brother?" Setsu asked, concerned.

Ren didn't look up. "I can't leave. That boy . . . Ichigo . . . I need to learn what he learned. I . . ."

"That's what I thought," Kisuke said. "I've never seen anything like the two of you. If my guesses about your abilities are correct, I don't think I'll be able to help you much. However, it's not safe for you to leave."

Ren looked up at the man, feeling ashamed of himself. He could hear Kuon in the back of his head, laughing at his weakness. He didn't want to meet Kyokou's eyes. He had come with the intention to rescue her, but now he would be the one holding her prisoner here. The whole situation made him sick. He didn't understand everything that had happened, but he knew that he couldn't just ignore the things that he had seen. Kyokou was a part of this too; she had some sort of ability that needed to be refined as well.

"Sit tight," Kisuke said, sauntering over to the ladder that led up to the shop. "I need to go research some things, and then I have to make a phone call. If I'm right, they won't be very happy with me."

Ren watched Kisuke vanish up into the shop, then hung his head again, ashamed. "I'm sorry, Kyokou," he whispered.

. . .

Kisuke was staring at his monitors once more, scanning the data he'd been receiving over the past seventy-two hours as Ichigo had been down in the pit. The two siblings didn't want him to know who they really were, and now that he had the information, he understood why. To the world, nobody knew who they were because they were under a well-crafted disguise. The girl's real name was Kyokou Mogami, a rising talent for the LME Company. The boy worked for the same company and had tenure as the well-known actor and model, Ren Tsuruga. They were the stars of LME, and because of Kisuke's interference, they had been missing for four days.

Kisuke looked now at the advertisement for the film that was supposed to be shooting on location here in Karakura town. Neither of their names showed up, but the main role was given to an actor by the name of Cain Heel, a foreigner, who would be playing the part of a blood thirsty Yakuza. Kisuke smiled, remembering how the boy had crashed into his shop. He definitely had a blood thirsty yakuza look about him that night. The fact that "Cain Heel" was a foreigner explained his fluent English. The girl's English wasn't as good as his, but she did well enough to pass as a foreigner too. These kids were good actors; it was no wonder they were the star talents of their agency.

The other data on his screens was more concerning. Ever since the Tsuruga boy had shown up, the girl's unusual spirit pressure had increased and stabilized. However, his spirit pressure had spiked unnaturally when Ichigo had begun the process of hollowfication while down in the pit. This had been Kisuke's biggest concern, and he now had the proof to confirm his suspicions. Both children down below were part hollow, and Ren Tsuruga was on the verge of losing to his inner hollow. The girl wouldn't leave his side, but she had no idea the danger she was in if he lost control. He'd have to speak to the boy again to confirm his newest suspicion, but he had the feeling that the girl had been the one stabilizing Ren as he'd battled with the hollow inside him.

It was time to make the call.

"What do you want?" a bored voice answered after a couple rings.

Kisuke scanned the data again. "I need your help, Shinji. You're group is more suited to the task I have in mind."

"Eh?" Shinji asked, startled. "You're asking for our help? I know we're indebted to you, Kisuke, but I'm not about to risk my group for one of your crazy experiments."

"Give me that!" another voice cried. Hyori took the phone. "You have no right to call us, you jerk face!"

"Nice to hear you too, Hyori," Kisuke said with a small smile. His former lieutenant was the same spit-fire as ever. "I'm not asking you for favors. I've come across a couple of humans . . . and they have hollow powers."

Silence. "That's not possible, Kisuke," Shinji said. He'd taken the phone back. "Humans can't have hollow powers like ours. The hollow would consume them."

"I wish I were wrong, but how often am I wrong?" Kisuke asked.

Silence again. "We're on our way."

. . .

Kyokou looked around to make sure that the others were occupied with Ichigo before she turned back to Ren. "Ren," Kyokou said, trying to get him to look at her, but he wouldn't look up. "Ren! Tell me what's going on! Why can't we leave?"

His voice was thick with shame. "We can't leave." He paused as if he couldn't bring himself to say what came next, "I hate him, but Kisuke was right. What happened to Ichigo down in that pit . . . I don't know how to describe it. I . . ." He stopped and looked up at her with pleading eyes, as if begging her to understand.

"I think. . . I understand." She whispered down to him. She knelt down so she was looking into his eyes. Ren stared back with wide eyes. Kyokou gently grabbed his hands and held them between her two smaller ones. She looked into his eyes to prevent him from looking away. "You've been fighting something ever since we first played the role of the Heel siblings. I knew it, I could feel it, but couldn't help you. The President . . . he wouldn't tell me anything. All I could do was watch."

"President Lory is too observant," Ren muttered breaking eye contact. Lory knew all too well what Kuon was like. He sat there for a couple moments when what she had said at the end finally sunk in. He sat up with a start. He moved his hands so he was holding her as he looked in her eyes. "Kyokou, don't think you didn't help me. You helped me more than I could ever have dreamed of." She looked down to avoid his eyes. He leaned down so that he was looking into her eyes again.

After a couple moments, she looked back at him, meeting his eyes. "What do you mean?" she said in a quiet voice he could barely hear.

"Kyokou . . ." Ren didn't know how to say this without letting his feelings for her escape as well. She couldn't know that he was in love with her. "You . . . naturally bring out the best in people. All those assignments the President gave you as a Love Me Member . . . he was using you. You helped Maria overcome her fears that her father didn't love her. You helped other actors realize their potential on set. You've helped . . ." he stopped. She'd made him human again.

Kyokou laughed shakily. "President Lory uses all of us. Those people you say I've helped . . . I didn't do anything. I wasn't very nice to any of them; I wanted to beat them!"

Ren smiled. That was certainly true. She'd injured her leg further by refusing to be outdone by a whiny actress that had become a problem for everyone the first time Ren had seen her act. Kyokou had been a natural from the start. Her determination was unmatched by anyone. Kyokou liked to win, and she was good at it. However, the last part . . . she'd never been mean to Ren. At least, never when they were working together. She had hated him when they'd first met, but that had changed as she'd set her mind on acting at his level. She refused to believe that she had been acting at his level from the beginning.

"Kyokou, don't short sell yourself. It's _because_ you wanted to beat them that they became better."

Those large brown eyes of hers widened in surprise. "No, that can't be it," she said, shaking her head vigorously.

It was no use trying to convince her. Kyokou would always be the same. "Thank you," he whispered.

"For what?"

He took her hand. "For being Setsu. I didn't want you around at first when the President introduced the idea of using you as a lucky charm, but I'm grateful you've been here for me. I . . . I don't think I would have made it through without you."

Kyokou was watching him with those wide eyes of hers. He wanted to lean forward and kiss her, but he held back. He couldn't have her; he didn't deserve her. Instead, they sat in silence and waited for Kisuke to return.


	8. Chapter Seven - The Vizards

I do not own Bleach or Skip Beat

Author's Note: Hey all (: Thanks again for reading! I would really appreciate it if you'd review and tell me what you think so far! I know this idea is a little different, but I'm really enjoying writing this and hope you all are enjoying it too. Thanks so much!

Chapter Seven – The Vizards

"Kyokou, you're right. We need to leave," Ren said.

Kyokou looked at Ren, startled. He tugged her to her feet and half dragged her over to the ladder leading upstairs. She pulled on his hand, trying to slow him down. His legs were too long. What was with his sudden urgency? She was still stunned by his earlier comments and was struggling to organize her thoughts. Next thing she knew, they were climbing up into the shop.

"Wait!" she said, confused, pulling on the edge of his coat. He looked down at her, leaning away from the rungs. "I thought you wanted to stay. Did you change your mind?"

"Yes," he said simply, turning back to climbing.

Kisuke looked up as Ren dragged Kyokou through the room, his face thoughtful. Kyokou hardly noticed as Ren dragged her through the rows of merchandise to the door. She could hear Kisuke following them, but he was oddly silent for once. Ren barely stopped to register that the doors had been fixed since he had first arrived. Kyokou stumbled against him, tripping out into the main yard. He was leading her to the street. They were really leaving!

Excited, she stepped forward, ready to lead. Kisuke wasn't even trying to stop them! There was a tug on her arm and she was yanked around. She looked up into Ren's face, confused, as he gripped her shoulders and leaned in to kiss her forehead.

"I'm sorry, Setsu," he whispered, and gently pushed her out into the street.

"No!" she yelled. The shop suddenly vanished. It was Kisuke's demon magic keeping her out now. She stepped forward, but was forced back again by his barriers. Angry tears streamed down her face. She pounded her fists against the barrier and kicked at it. Why had he done that? Why hadn't he come with her? "Ren!"

"Hmmm . . ." a voice said behind her, making her spin around to face the street again. "I thought Kisuke said there were two of them."

There was a group of people gathered as if they were about to enter Kisuke's shop. Kyokou fell back against the barrier, her heart pounding. Who were these people? What did they have to do with Kisuke?

"Hiyori," the speaker said, nudging a short girl with blonde pigtails. The speaker was also blonde, his hair cut to shoulder length, with a cap pulled over his head and a sword held casually in his hand. "You and Lisa take her back to headquarters. The rest of us will go talk with Kisuke."

"Why do I have to?" the girl whined, aiming a kick at the man's shins.

"It doesn't matter," a girl with a long black braid and glasses said, stepping forward. Kyokou noticed that her skirt was super short, and then flushed, realizing that she was still dressed as Setsu. "Come on, Hiyori."

Kyokou felt like she had frozen. The others in the group stepped past her as if the barrier didn't exist while the two girls gripped her arms. Kyokou gave in. She was still a prisoner. That's why Kisuke hadn't said anything when Ren had shoved her out. The look on Ren's face when he had pushed her into the street made her stomach twist in knots. It was the first time he had lied to her without his gentlemanly smile. He'd never intended to escape with her in the first place.

. . .

Ren walked back into Kisuke's shop, avoiding the man's gaze. He leaned against the counter and took a deep breath. Kyokou would be safe now. She was free.

"I'd check your phone if I were you."

Ren's head snapped up. The man's words were unexpected. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and turned the power back on. He'd completely forgotten about the reason he was in Karakura town. The director, Yashiro, the President. All of them were probably freaking out right now. With a slight twinge, he remembered that Kisuke had broken Kyokou's phone. How long had they been in the dark?

"It's been four days," Kisuke said, answering Ren's thoughts.

The phone came to life in his hands. As expected, Mr. Yashiro had called, filling his inbox. Sighing, Ren prepared to dial when an incoming call lit up his screen. It was the President.

"Hello?" Ren said, prepared for a lecture.

"Hand the phone to Kisuke Urahara," President Lory said, his tone deadly.

Surprised, Ren turned and looked at Kisuke. "It's for you," he said, holding the phone out.

There was a bemused expression on the man's face. "Yeah, I was expecting this."

"Kisuke! We've come just as you asked!" a man drawled, banging through the doors, drawing Ren's attention. "Oh . . . of course he's too busy for us right now. Guess we'll just have to wait."

. . .

Kisuke turned his back on the Vizards and pressed the phone to his ear. "It's been a long time, Lory."

There was an angry growl on the other end of the line. "You've gone too far this time, Kisuke. I didn't think you'd fail to notice their presence, but this is –"

"If they had minded their own business, they wouldn't be in this predicament. Your girl came across my business in the street. How was I supposed to know?"

"Release them. I'll handle the situation."

"No can do. Sorry, but your boy here is in no fit condition to mingle with other humans right now. He just witnessed . . . well, let's put it this way. Because your girl stumbled into my work, his _unique_ abilities were unlocked. By the way, it was very clever of you to use the girl to suppress him."

"I had it under control," Lory growled. "You went and meddled with something that was none of your business, as usual."

"Oh yes, Kyokou has surprising control over her abilities, but she doesn't understand them. You've left her in the dark, Lory. The boy's in even worse condition than she is. He had no idea what it was he was suppressing all these years. You've had them under your thumb all this time, leaving them to work against each other."

"I had my reasons. They didn't need to know, and I would have told them eventually. Kyokou and Ren were a match made by fate."

Kisuke smiled. "Still playing the love card, I see. Do they know?"

Lory finally sounded amused. "You could put it that way. They know, but they won't admit it to each other. It's rather amusing to watch. I've always loved dramas . . ." Lory trailed off and then growled again. "Why do you have to do that? That's not what's important right now! Don't change the topic!"

Kisuke laughed light-heartedly. "You've always been a sucker for love, Lory. It's no wonder the Soul Society kicked you out."

"Stay focused, Kisuke. This isn't about me. What are you planning to do with Ren and Kyokou?"

"Do you remember why _I_ was kicked out of Soul Society?"

"The Vizards," Lory whispered. "They're not ready for that, Kisuke."

"You're blind, Lory. The boy will snap any day now under the pressure. He knows it now too. He volunteered."

"Dammit, Kisuke!"

"They're waiting for him, Lory. If you want to say something to him, now's the time to do it."

"Give him the phone."

. . .

Ren was startled when Kisuke handed his phone back. "President?"

"He's a fool," the President muttered, "but I was a bigger one. I'm sorry, Ren. Kisuke is right; you and Kyokou need to be trained. Just do as he says."

"Sir, what do you know about this? What's going on?"

"I'll explain when you get back to LME. For now, you just need to know that you can trust Kisuke and those he chooses to assist with your training. I've already called your director and told him to find a replacement for your part. You won't be filming any time soon."

"President, Kyokou isn't with me. Kisuke let me send her –"

"Ah," Kisuke interrupted. "Sorry, I didn't let her escape. My friends here already took her to their place for training."

"Who are you calling 'friends'? We only came 'cause we wanted to know what was going on," the man who'd entered earlier said. His two companions nodded.

"They'll help you, Ren. Trust me," the President said, and then the line went dead.

Ren looked to Kisuke and then the three men who had come into the shop. The leader was a blonde with shoulder length hair, wearing a cap and casually holding a sword. One of his companions was also blonde, but his hair flowed down his back and he had a getup like a concert master from a hundred years ago. The third man was a black man who wore shades and had an afro that was combed into a star shape.

"Where's Setsu?" Ren said, turning to Kisuke.

"Don't you mean 'Kyokou'? That's what you just called her while talking to Lory, wasn't it? She's a very skilled actress. She's with the others that came with Shinji, Love, and Rojuro." Kisuke turned to the one with the sword. "I take it Hiyori took the girl?"

"Yeah," Shinji said, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "If you don't mind, however, I'd like to get going now."

"Hold on," Ren said, anger boiling over. "You took her?" He was losing control.

Shinji glanced at Kisuke, then back at Ren. "Ah, so this is the problem we're better suited for. I could sense the girl, but it seemed to me that she wasn't much of a problem."

"Yes," Kisuke said. "I know the girl has remarkable control already, but it would be easier if you trained both of them. She seems to be, say, a good luck charm for the boy." Kisuke quickly explained the situation to the newcomer.

Ren couldn't follow much of what he said, but the more he listened, the angrier he got. He clenched his fists, shaking. At the end of Kisuke's explanation, Shinji looked Ren over again. "This might be a problem," he said, still in that cool drawling tone.

"Let me know how it goes," Kisuke said with a carefree grin. "I've got other fish to fry!"

Kisuke began heading back towards the underground room where Ichigo was still recuperating when Ren realized he was being left to the newcomers. He turned to run after Kisuke, but felt a sharp pain at the back of his neck. He collapsed, smacking his head against the floor board.

"Sorry," Shinji drawled again, "but Kisuke was right. You're coming with us, I'm afraid. I can't have you losing control without our supervision."

Ren struggled to hold to consciousness, but it was no use. The world went black.


	9. Chapter Eight - Ren's Inner Hollow

I do not own Bleach or Skip Beat

Author's Note: Hey all, it's me again (: So, this chapter is kinda long, but I hope you enjoy it. It was interesting to write. Please review and let me know what you think so far! I would really appreciate it!

Chapter Eight – Ren's Inner Hollow

Kyokou sat with her back against the wall, her knees pulled to her chest. She'd completely given up on the Setsu act and had accepted the clothes her new captors had given her, getting rid of the wig Ten had so meticulously styled for her as well. She was more comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt anyways. Her captors sat around the warehouse they called their base of operations, seeming bored as they waited for their three comrades to return. It was the only thing that consoled Kyokou; Ren was coming with them.

To pass the time, she had learned her captors' names. Hiyori was a small blonde girl, her hair pulled back in pig tails, with a feisty personality. Lisa was tall and slender with a long black braid and a skirt that was way too short. Hachi was a large, kind man with small eyes and a broad smile. Kensai seemed liked he'd stepped out of the military with his white buzz cut, sleeveless shirt, and folded arms. Beside him was Mashiro, a girl with bright green hair and lots of energy. The three Kyokou had seen outside Urahara's ship were Shinji, Love, and Rojuro.

At last, there were muffled footsteps outside the warehouse. "Geez, he's heavy!" a voice complained, and another said, "Shut up, Rojuro!"

"Knock it off!" Shinji said. "We're almost inside anyways. Hachi! Are you ready?"

Hachi stood and bowed as the three men entered the room, carrying Ren's limp body between them. Kyokou got to her feet, anger boiling as she watched them dump Ren's body unceremoniously on the ground. The kind looking man restrained Ren in a similar manner to the way Kisuke had restrained him. It was demon magic. Kyokou hated it, but she didn't dare complain. Hiyori had been watching her like a hawk from the moment she heard Shinji's voice.

"Okay," Shinji said, spinning in a wide circle to acknowledge everyone. "Here's the deal. Kisuke has his hands full currently with a fledgling Shinigami, so he's entrusted us with _them."_ He flicked a thumb in Kyokou's direction, grinning when he saw her clenched fists. "Oh, and you can drop the sibling act. Kisuke's passed on all the information he's gathered on you, and we've all met Lory."

Kyokou couldn't believe her ears; they knew the _President_? "What are you going to do with us now?" Kyokou asked, drawing on Mio's pride to keep the shaking out of her voice.

Hiyori was the one to answer. "Kisuke wants us to train you. Ain't that right, Shinji?" She glared at the blonde man. Kyokou almost would have thought that they were siblings.

"Right," Shinji nodded. With a grin, he slid a hand across his face and leapt forward.

Kyokou acted out of instinct, diving to the side, but Hiyori was there to block her. Both had suddenly materialized masks on their faces that were eerily similar to the mask that Ichigo had broken. They were fast, too fast, and Kyokou was knocked off her feet.

"Defend yourself!" Hiyori said, her voice oddly distorted by her mask. It scared Kyokou.

"Patience," Shinji said, his voice similarly distorted. "Her spirit pressure is rising. Its instinct for her, but she doesn't know she's doing it. We need to get her to release that pent up power."

Kyokou rolled and dodged another attack from Hiyori, but was knocked flat again by Shinji. Before she had rolled back to her feet, Shinji was moving towards Ren. "No!" Kyokou screamed. She flew across the room with an unnatural speed, placing herself firmly in front of Ren.

"Well, well," Shinji said, his mask vanishing. "Look at this. She knows flash step."

Kyokou had no idea what he was talking about.

"Problem is," Kensai said, sauntering over, arms crossed, "she's human. Every time she does that, it wears her body down. "If you plan on training her like that, you'll have to train her in her spirit form."

"Kisuke brought that up," Shinji said with a frown, "but her chain of fate will interfere. Same with the boy. They may have latent hollow abilities, but they're still both human."

"Who cares," Hiyori said. Her mask was back, and she made a dive for Kyokou again.

"Wait!" Shinji yelled, but it was too late.

A black cloud had shrouded Kyokou; it was a cloud of pure spirit energy. Hiyori slammed right into it and was flung back across the room. She barely managed to stay on her feet and avoided the wall. Her mask disappeared and she stared at Kyokou. None of the Vizards moved. The cloud had shrouded the unconscious Ren as well, protecting him.

"Leave him out of it," Kyokou growled.

Shinji approached cautiously. "What have you gotten us into, Kisuke?" he mused, stopping just outside of Kyokou's swirling spirit energy. "And Lory knew about it too. It's a shame. You have such great control, Kyokou, but it will consume you."

Kyokou blinked. She'd never had a problem with her inner demons; in fact, she had embraced them that first day when Shotaro had rejected her. She only ever lost control of them when Ren was with her, giving her that rare heavenly smile of his. She watched Shinji warily for a moment, and then relaxed. They weren't attacking her anymore.

"Kyokou?" Ren had gained consciousness again.

She knelt by him, wishing there was something she could do about his restraints. "I'm right here."

Ren rolled to his knees and looked around. "Where are we?" He was confused, and there was anger underlying his tone.

 _Right,_ Kyokou thought, _he wanted me to get away._

"Welcome to our humble abode," Shinji said with a bow. "Oww!"

Hiyori had thrown herself across the room and kicked Shinji in the face. "Shut up, baldy! We need to get him downstairs before he loses it!"

Shinji rubbed his nose, glaring. "I know that! And don't call me baldy!"

Kyokou stared at all of them. Why did they have to move? What was wrong with Ren?

. . .

 _You better be ready,_ Kuon laughed inside Ren's head. _They're going to let me out, and if you don't win, then I'll be free again._

Ren hated the gleeful tone of Kuon's voice. He was already furious that Kyokou was still imprisoned with him, and now he was being forced to acknowledge that these _Vizard_ people knew about Kuon somehow. They had moved to an underground room like the one Kisuke had had in his shop. They'd separated him from Kyokou, and she now stood outside the shimmering barrier they'd placed him in. He could see the worry on her face; she was an open book to him when she wasn't in character.

"Alright," Shinji said. "We've never done this with a human before, so we're not quite sure how this is supposed to work. Here's the gist of it: you are a hollow. Well, part of you is. We don't quite understand how that's possible yet – Kisuke said he'd do some research – but we can all feel that you are about to lose control. Are you with me?"

Ren glowered at him. He didn't know what a hollow is, but if he was talking about Kuon, then he understood perfectly.

Shinji continued. "Kisuke has this theory. She," he said, pointing to Kyokou, "has been suppressing your inner hollow unconsciously. Lory refused to confirm this, but we agree with Kisuke. Kyokou also has an inner hollow."

Ren looked to Kyokou. She was fighting an inner demon too? She was glaring at Shinji, so Ren looked back to the man.

"Now, I get the feeling, after trying to draw Kyokou's powers out, that training you two in your human forms would be a bad idea."

There was a gasp from the other Vizards.

"Not cool, Shinji," Rojuro said. "We didn't talk about training them in their spirit forms. The chain of fate –"

"Yeah, I know," Shinji said, not taking his eyes off Ren. "Kisuke was concerned about it too, but I don't see another way to train them without their human bodies getting totally annihilated by their hollows."

There was muttering. Ren was still ignoring the gleeful babblings of Kuon and tried to understand what they were all talking about. He remembered how Tessai had severed Ichigo's chain of fate in order to train him. Was that what they were going to do to him and Kyokou?"

"Love?" Shinji asked, looking to the man with an afro.

"You sure this will work?" Love asked, walking forward wearily.

"No," Shinji admitted. He stepped towards Ren.

It was a weird feeling, being knocked out of his body. There was a clink, and Ren looked down to see his arms were free again, but there was also a chain in his chest connecting him to the lifeless form of his body. Ren stared. And then . . .

"Corn?" Kyokou gasped.

Ren spun, a hand flying to his hair. She couldn't know! But it was too late; he'd momentarily forgotten that his hair was dyed. He met Kyokou's gaze, speechless. Her eyes were wide in surprise. However, when he moved, the chain connected to his chest clanked, reminding him of his situation. Now wasn't the time for explanations.

The short blonde girl, Hiyori, was examining the chain coming from Ren's chest. "Hey, Shinji, you should come check this out."

She was holding the chain in her hands. As Shinji leisurely made his way over, Ren realized what Hiyori was staring at. One of the links in the chain looked as if it had been partially melted. It was closer to the end attached to his actual body, but seeing the misshapen link sent shivers down Ren's spine. He glanced over at Kyokou, who was pressed right up against Hachi's barrier with that same wide-eyed, confused expression. Ren's chest ached; he wanted to go to her, to hold her in his arms and explain. He wanted to tell her everything would be okay, just like when they were kids. But he couldn't, so he didn't.

"Interesting," Shinji said, jiggling the loose link. "I wonder what would happen if I removed it?"

He acted as if to remove the broken link, but there was a loud cry from Kyokou. They all turned to look at her, confused. She was staring right at Ren. "I don't think . . ." she whispered.

Chills ran down Ren's spine again. Shinji reached for the broken link again, and Kuon exploded inside Ren's head. _This is it,_ Kuon laughed gleefully. _Time to see who's really in charge here._ Ren had just enough time to see a blur of movement outside the barrier – Kyokou – and register that Shinji was pulling the broken link free of the others before his world seemed to be flipped upside down. Next thing he knew, he was facing Kuon in the alleyway once more, and Kuon grinned, looking murderous.

. . .

There was a blast as Shinji removed the link in Ren's chain of fate, throwing him and Hiyori against the barrier. Confused, Shinji rolled back to his feet and discovered that Kyokou had somehow managed to slip into the barrier before anyone had registered what was happening.

"Get out!" Hiyori yelled, shoving Shinji towards the door. "I'll take him on first. Close the barrier, Hachi!"

Shinji wanted to protest; Hiyori hadn't noticed that Kyokou had made it inside the barrier. Hachi closed the barrier once Shinji was out. "Idiot!" Shinji yelled, banging on the barrier, trying to get Hiyori's attention, but she'd already pulled her mask over her face, prepared to battle Ren's hollow.

"Open it back up!" Shinji yelled at Hachi, but the man shook his head apologetically. "He'll hurt Kyokou!"

"Look," Love said, drawing Shinji's attention back to Kyokou. Ren was beginning to hollowfy, and he had grabbed Kyokou. Shinji gagged; Kisuke was going to kill him.

. . .

Kyokou stared wide eyed at the monster holding her in a death like grip. She was looking at Ren, but it wasn't Ren. It was Corn . . . but Corn would never look at her the way he was doing now. It didn't make any sense. Ren/Corn was laughing, but it wasn't either of them. It terrified Kyokou.

"Sweet freedom," the being holding her said, a wicked grin splitting his face. "At last, at long last! It's _my_ turn." He leaned in close to Kyokou, breathing in deeply.

Kyokou wanted to scream, to run, as she watched a mask slowly form across the monster's face. This wasn't Ren. Nor was it Corn. She didn't know who this being was, but he frightened her. She leaned away, trembling, but he pulled her in closer, laughing as she squirmed in his grip.

Then he _kissed_ her. Kyokou stiffened, paralyzed. The monster laughed, kissing her again. It was nothing like when Corn had kissed her. The way he looked at her was nothing like how Ren looked at her either. Kyokou was confused and her heart thundered in her chest. This was wrong!

And then she was released. She collapsed to the ground as the monster turned to face Hiyori; her mask was on and she had drawn a sword. She was attacking the monster that had taken Ren's place. By now, the mask was completely obscuring his face. He was changing the same way Ichigo had changed. He brushed Hiyori aside as though she were an annoying fly. Hiyori rolled and sprang at the monster once again. Kyokou watched in horror as Hiyori took the monster on.

"You must be a real idiot," Hiyori growled, panting besides Kyokou. "What did ya run in here for? It's safer _outside_ the barrier. That's why Hachi put it up!" She sprang into another attack while Kyokou continued to sit on the ground, stunned.

. . .

Ren dodged another of Kuon's attacks, panic rising in his chest. He had to get back to Kyokou! He had to win! Kuon laughed maniacally, his eyes flashing with hatred. Ren had tried asking him questions, but Kuon had just laughed and attacked.

"It's no use," Kuon said gleefully. "Kyokou was never yours. She can't help you anymore. She's _mine!_ "

Ren dodged again. He didn't have time to mount a counter attack. It was all he could do to stay on his feet and defend against Kuon. "Leave her out of this. This is between you and me!"

Kuon laughed again. "Is that what you think?"

Ren growled and lunged at Kuon. "You'll never have her."

"And you won't either, Ren, unless you do something about it. Your body will become mine once again. I am the rightful owner, after all!"

There was a sharp pain in Ren's shoulder as Kuon landed a blow. Ren grappled with him, staying close in order to block his attacks. They were both experts at hand to hand combat, but Ren could feel that Kuon was stronger. Ren had gone soft.

"You can't last forever, Ren," Kuon teased, and Ren felt his wrist snap.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Ren made a final desperate attempt to defeat Kuon. Kuon's eyes widened in surprise as Ren toppled him, pinning him to the ground. _He can't have Kyokou._ "Why?" Ren snarled. "Why are you doing this? You're my past. I want nothing to do with you anymore. I let that all go when I met her."

Kuon was gleeful again. "I'm here because you met her! You're so boring! Mr. Perfect actor, never misses a single line. All the girls swoon when he walks their way. Ha! Then _she_ came along, and suddenly your life was interesting again. I can't stand the power she has over you! I hate her!"

"Then go away!" Ren growled.

"You wish I would go away, don't you? I'm a part of you whether you like it or not. I will always be here, looking for an opening to take control, and when it comes, Kyokou will be mine!"

"You just said you hate her!"

"I'm in love with Kyokou, isn't it obvious? I'm you, Ren. We're the same."

"That doesn't make any sense! How can you love someone that you hate?"

Ren had Kuon pinned. Kuon looked up at him, his expression hard. "Ren Tsuruga doesn't exist," he hissed. "You only have the stage now because she's interfering with my power. I hate her. Despite that, she's our entire world, Ren. Have you even bothered to look beyond this alleyway? Its dark here where you try to keep me chained up, and she is our light! Take a look. She fascinates me just as much as you are infatuated with her. I long for her, need her, desire her! Look!"

Ren warily got to his feet, releasing Kuon, and looked outside of the alley. This world was deserted. Nobody was there; it was dark and lonely. He turned to ask Kuon what he meant, but then he saw it. Kyokou was everywhere. There was a poster on the wall with her dressed up as Mio. A billboard in the distance had her and Moko plastered across it from the Kurara commercial. Hints of Kyokou were everywhere.

"I became obsessed with her the same time you did," Kuon spat, disgusted. "She's the only thing in this world that brings light."

Ren turned in a circle, soaking it all in. He hated himself; that's why he'd locked Kuon away and vowed that he'd never be happy. He loved her; she was his entire world. Since the day she'd stumbled into his path, Kyokou had had a hold of Ren's heart. Ren turned back to Kuon, trembling.

"She's penetrated our very core," Kuon sneered. "I can't stand it, but I long for her because you long for her."

Ren stared at Kuon, and then felt . . . pity. "I guess we'll both just have to live in love's shadow," he whispered, "because neither of us can have what we want." Something heavy was suddenly in his hands. It was a sword, but the blade seemed to be made out of swirling shadows.

Kuon hissed again. "You win this time, Ren. Don't forget: one day I will be strong enough to take Renai Kokuei from you, and Kyokou will be mine. For now though, you are King of this world."

Ren blinked, and then the alleyway vanished.

* Renai Kokuei is the name of Ren's sword. It means "Love's Dark Shadow"


	10. Chapter Nine - Control

I do not own Bleach or Skip Beat

Chapter Nine – Control

Hiyori had dragged Kyokou out with her as soon as Kensai tagged in to take a turn against the monster that had taken Ren's place. Kyokou watched them fight, feeling numb. When Hachi had asked why she was crying, Kyokou had wiped at her face and realized that she actually was crying. She hated seeing Ren how he was now. This was a monster, not her Ren.

"Look!" Mashiro said, her eyes wide. They'd been taking turns fighting Ren for over an hour now, which Shinji said was too long by his estimate. Kyokou looked up and followed Mashiro's gaze; the monster that had taken Ren's place now held a sword in its hand. Then, the beast began to change again.

Cautiously, Hachi lowered the barrier surrounding Ren; Lisa had been fighting him, but backed away now as everyone watched him. His chest rose and fell as the beast took a more human form once more. The hair darkened to Ren's normal dark shade, and at last, only a bizarre looking mask obscured his face. Shaking, he lifted his free hand to his face, and removed the mask. Ren was himself again.

Kyokou was moving before anyone could comment, flying to Ren's side. Just a few feet away, she froze. Was it really Ren? Had he really come back? As the beast, the chain attached to his chest had vanished, but now it had returned and clanked as he drew deep breaths. Hesitantly, she looked up into his eyes. Ren stared back at her. It was him; he was himself again.

"Kyokou," he said, but the Vizards all gathered around him. There was pain in his eyes as they swarmed him, and it broke Kyokou's heart. She turned away, struggling to breathe, and cried once again.

. . .

"He needs to get back in his body," Shinji said, trying to keep the others back. Had they not noticed? It wasn't just the messed up link that he'd removed that was wrong with Ren; his whole chain of fate was corroded and corrupt in places. Shinji replaced the link he had removed and shoved Ren back towards his body. Shinji didn't know how it had happened, but Ren's hollow had formed within him and had slowly been eating away at his life, corrupting his chain of fate. What could cause such interference? It was nothing like what Aizen had done to them as Vizards. Ren's hollowfication process was distinctly unique to him. Thinking on this, Shinji watched Kyokou out of the corner of his eye and wondered what her capabilities were and how they had come to life.

"Kyokou!" Ren said, determined. She was more important than his body was. Why had she turned away? Had he frightened her that badly?

"Get back in your body!" Shinji said, shoving Ren again. "She'll be fine. Watching the process isn't easy and she has to go through something similar."

Ren spun on Shinji. "No! Don't make her go through what I just went through!"

Shinji blinked.

"Kyokou's not like me," Ren protested. "Whatever Kisuke saw in her, it wasn't this."

Hachi spoke up; he stood closest to Kyokou. "Kisuke Urahara is not a man who has a reputation for being wrong. He wasn't wrong about you, and I highly doubt that he was wrong about Kyokou." Hachi turned to Kyokou, placing a gentle hand on her back. Ren watched her flinch at the contact.

"Get back into your body," Shinji commanded again.

"How?" Ren asked, turning on the man.

"Just do it," Shinji sighed. He didn't know how to explain. "You're spirit and your body are one; they know what to do."

Looking to Kyokou again, Ren did as he was told and slipped back into his body.

. . .

"Release him," Kyokou whispered to Hachi. "His arms, they're still bound."

Hachi released his kido and looked at the girl beside him. She was no longer crying, but a deep sorrow filled her face. "Is something the matter?"

Kyokou looked to the kindly man; it was hard to think of Hachi as a kidnapper. He was kind and concerned, but also firm in the things he did. "It's my turn." She turned to look at Ren, and then turned away again. Would she become the terrible monster he had become? "I . . . I don't want him to watch."

Hachi turned and looked at the boy; Ren was staring at Kyokou's back with a similar look of despair that shadowed her face. "I don't think you have to worry, dear," Hachi told Kyokou. "He has just awoken, but you already have a small amount of control. It will be alright."

Kyokou looked up to the kind man. "I hope you're right."

. . .

Ren stood outside the barrier, guarded by Love and Rojuro so that he wouldn't attempt the same stunt Kyokou had when his hollowfication process had begun. He wasn't allowed inside the barrier with her. He watched as Shinji slowly approached Kyokou, his steps wary. They'd all had enough surprises for one day, and they were all worn out. Ren wished he could shield Kyokou from what she was about to experience, but the Vizards all told him it would be alright. Somehow, Kyokou already had some control over the beast inside of her.

. . .

Shinji stepped forward and pushed Kyokou out of her body. He blinked, surprised when the girl standing before him suddenly had long black hair. She glanced nervously over at Ren, then looked back to Shinji.

"How is this supposed to work?" Kyokou asked.

Shinji was examining her chain of fate, but looked up at her question. "Kisuke wants details of your training. I'm just checking to see if your chain is like his was, but yours looks completely intact. I wonder what caused his to corrode like that." Shinji shook his head. "That's for Kisuke to work out."

"Get on with it, baldy!" Hiyori yelled. "The sooner this is over, the sooner we can figure out if they can use their hollowfication in their human state!"

Shinji glared at Hiyori, then turned back to Kyokou. "Ready?" he asked. "I get you first."

Kyokou nodded, sending another glance Ren's way.

"Let's do this," Shinji said, pulling his mask down.

. . .

Kyokou opened her eyes and discovered that she was standing in a park. Sitting on the bench a short distance away was . . . herself. Kyokou took a deep breath and made her way over. The version of herself sitting on the bench looked up with a smile. She patted the seat beside her and gazed out at the trees.

"Who are you?" Kyokou asked, taking her seat.

"My name is Akuma Tenshi," she answered, smiling again.

Kyokou looked around the park and began to relax. The Vizards had explained what a hollow was, and what it meant to have an inner hollow. Akuma Tenshi was not what she expected; perhaps her personality depended on her mood as her name implied. Akuma meant demon, but Tenshi was the word for angel. "Which are you right now?" Kyokou asked.

The girl tilted her head to the side, thinking about it. "I'm an even balance of both. My behavior depends more on you, Kyokou. Besides, you embraced me from the beginning. Really, I'm just a reflection of you."

Kyokou nodded. "I thought as much."

The girl smiled. "How about you call me Kumi? It's easier."

Kyokou smiled. "Kumi works for me. So . . . what am I doing here?"

Kumi frowned and looked around. "I'm not sure. I've accepted you as master, so this 'training' you're supposed to be doing is kind of pointless. I get the feeling that somebody else is supposed to meet us, though."

Kyokou had the same feeling, and looked around. "What do you mean you've accepted me?"

Kumi sighed. "The training they put you through is to 'overcome' your inner hollow, which would be me. However, I'm in complete agreeance with you and the way you handle things, so there's no reason for me to battle you for control."

"Oh."

. . .

Ren watched Kyokou from outside the barrier. A mask was forming over her face, but she wasn't moving. After a while, Shinji, who was in the barrier with her, moved as if to feint and Kyokou moved reflexively to block. Confused, Shinji paused, before attacking again. Ren watched, feeling edgy as Kyokou moved. She was on the defensive, using the training she'd received for the role she'd had as a ninja when she'd filmed with Moko. The only difference was that she didn't have her short swords for blocking.

"Careful," Ren muttered, watching as Shinji's blade came too close for his comfort. Why wasn't she becoming a monster the way he and Ichigo had? Did she really have that much control over her inner demons? She moved again, then froze. A chill ran down Ren's back as Shinji's sword pierced through Kyokou's chest. "No!" he yelled, running towards the barrier.

Shinji's eyes had widened in surprise, and he quickly withdrew his blade. There was a bright flash of light, and sand swirled within the barrier. Shinji coughed, shielding his eyes as Ren approached. When the dust cleared, Shinji gasped. "That's not possible!"

Ren stared, frozen. Kyokou still had a mask covering her face, but her chain of fate had vanished along with the clothes she had been wearing; she now stood in a black kimono like the one Ichigo had worn after he'd come out of the hole with two short sword scabbards hanging from her waist. Ren didn't understand how it had happened, but his heart pounded as he realized that this was part of the reason Kyokou had such phenomenal control over her power.

"Kisuke didn't know about this," Shinji whispered, motioning for Hachi to open the barrier and let him out. The entire barrier dissolved instead. Ren moved to go to Kyokou, but the Vizards grabbed his arms, holding him back.

"Wait!" Rojuro said, holding Ren's left arm. "Just because she's a Shinigami doesn't mean that it's safe to approach her. We have to see what happens; it's not safe yet!"

They all stared at Kyokou, waiting.

. . .

"Look," Kumi whispered, tugging Kyokou's arm. Kyokou turned and saw a man walking down the park path. He seemed nervous, adjusting his glasses as he approached. "Who is he?"

"I don't know," Kyokou said, her heart racing.

"Good morning," the man said, coming to a halt before Kyokou and Kumi. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Um . . ." Kyokou said, staring up at the man. He seemed familiar, but Kyokou had never met anyone like him before.

"We were just about to leave," Kumi said, grabbing Kyokou's hand.

The man turned to Kumi, his eyes widening. "You're a hollow!"

Kumi cringed. "You're a Shinigami. What of it?"

Kyokou looked between the two, confused. "What are you two talking about?"

The man looked to Kyokou, a deep sadness in his eyes. "Kyokou . . ."

"How do you know my name? Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter," Kumi said, tugging on Kyokou's arm again. "Let's get out of here."

"Kyokou," the man said again, reaching out and grabbing her shoulder. "I'm . . ." He looked uncomfortable. "Haven't you ever wondered who your father was?"

Kyokou cringed away from him this time. "I don't have a father. He didn't want me, and neither did my mother."

Kyokou turned away and took Kumi with her. Whoever this man was, she wanted nothing to do with him. After the last time she had spoken with her mother, Kyokou had understood that her true family were not her parents. They didn't want her. She couldn't help glancing back at the man though; he stared after her, pain evident in his eyes.

And then Kyokou blinked, and the park vanished.


	11. Chapter Ten - Natural

I do not own Bleach or Skip Beat

Sorry it's been a while since I last posted. I've had some trouble building up this chapter and then with the holidays on top was stressful too. Anyways, hope you enjoy! Please review!

Chapter Ten – Natural

"Kyokou!" Ren cried, finally freeing himself from Rojuro and Love.

She looked up at him, pulling her mask away as she did so. She cradled it in her arms as she looked at him. She wasn't scared of her inner monster? And then Ren saw it; Kyokou was crying. This wasn't like the other times she had cried, however. The tears streamed silently down her cheeks.

"What happened?" he whispered, grabbing her shoulder.

She stared blankly at his chest. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Kyokou," Shinji said. Ren twitched, irritated that he was interrupting. "Did you know that you had Shinigami blood in you?"

Kyokou stared at the ground. "No."

Ren glared at Shinji. "What does it matter?"

Shinji sighed and looked at the other Vizards who were gathering around. "It matters a great deal, actually. If she's a Shinigami, then she needs to meet with Kisuke again. However, she also has an inner hollow, which means she's just like us. She's a Vizard."

Ren clenched his fists, but Kyokou reached out and grabbed his hand. "I'm not going back to Kisuke," she whispered. "I just want to go home."

"You can't go home!" Hiyori growled. "You're one of us!"

"Leave her alone!" Ren blocked them from Kyokou, glaring.

"Look, you've upset him," Mashiro chirped.

"That means now is as good a time as any to find out if he can hollowfy in his human form," Hiyori said, drawing her blade. "We need to know what both of them can do!"

Ren snarled, moving to pull on a mask that he hoped would appear as Hiyori's had, but Kyokou grabbed his arm and drew one of her short swords from her side. The other Vizards moved in; Ren wouldn't be able to fend off all of them. Kyokou drew her other sword as well and took a defensive stance, her mask back on her face. Ren knew that she knew how to use those blades in her hands, and moved to get out of her way. He wanted to fight too, but he feared he'd be a hindrance if he attempted to help her right now.

Hiyori attacked first, swinging at Kyokou as Ren moved out of their way. He was blocked by the other Vizards who had also pulled on their masks and drawn their blades. Ren glanced at Kyokou and then attempted to pull his mask down. Nothing happened. He tried again, and this time a frail feeling mask covered his face. A heavy weight filled his hand, and he glanced down at the sword that had materialized when he fought Kuon. It was time to fight.

Fighting with a blade was uncomfortable for Ren. He preferred hand to hand combat, but so did Kuon. The Vizards were careful not to hit Ren with their blades, but they weren't going easy on him either. It made things worse when he attempted to turn them away from Kyokou, but she had her situation under control. After just half a minute, however, his mask shattered and his blade vanished in a wisp of smoke.

The Vizards froze, their masks disappearing except for Mashiro who was still fighting with Kyokou. Mashiro didn't use a sword; she was a hand to hand combat person too. Kyokou fended the green haired girl off expertly, dodging and using her blades to shield against Mashiro's kicks. Ren watched her in awe. This was the control they were all talking about. He didn't understand why his mask had shattered, but they all watched as Kyokou battled Mashiro for the next fifteen minutes without pause.

Mashiro feinted, but Kyokou spun and blocked the girl with one sword while she used the other short sword to swing at the girl's unprotected side. Mashiro just barely dodged out of the way, rolling in a tight ball so as not to leave any openings. Kyokou assumed a defensive stance again, breathing hard. A thin crack formed in her mask, but it didn't shatter the way Ren's had. Ren found himself holding his breath, waiting to see what Kyokou would do next. She took her training seriously, he knew, and took pride in the way she used that training to her advantage.

Mashiro, rather than attack, backed away and looked to Kensai, her head tilted to the side. All the Vizards seemed thunderstruck by Kyokou's ability. Slowly, the mask faded from Kyokou's face, and she sheathed her swords. Ren was expecting to see pride in her eyes, but instead he saw confusion. He stepped towards her, reaching out again.

"Kyokou?" Ren asked. "Are you alright?"

She looked up at him, and then collapsed.

. . .

Kyokou heard his voice in her head again, the man from the park. He was trying to tell her something – a name – but she didn't want to hear it. As Ren had stepped towards her, her legs had finally given out and she'd succumbed to the exhaustion that suddenly took over her body. Ren was leaning over her now, calling her name softly, but another voice was louder. _His_ voice. She closed her eyes, trying to block it out, but she was unable to. Finally, she made out the words _Renai Fukushuu_. Then the voice went away.

"Kyokou, please," Ren was pleading.

She blinked and looked up at him. The concern on his face surprised her; they had become friends, but Ren was very careful with his expressions around her. She tried to sit up, but he pushed her back down on the sand. He was gentle as he pressed a hand to her forehead and then pressed his fingers to her neck, taking her pulse. She lay still, watching him.

"They pushed too hard," he muttered, throwing a glance at the Vizards.

"Mr. Tsuruga," Kyokou said, pulling his hand away. "I'm alright."

He frowned, looking down at her. "I've told you to call me Ren, Kyokou. We're equals."

Kyokou shook her head stubbornly, sitting up slowly. Why did he insist on calling them equals? She still had yet to reach his level. "Can I get up now?"

Still frowning, he helped her to her feet, shooting nervous glances at the Vizards as he did so. Kyokou looked at them too, wondering why they had stopped the training. They had been insistent on attacking, so why stop? Had she done something? Had Ren? She waited, glancing at Ren; he was staring at her. She blinked and looked up at him, confused. There was wonder in his eyes.

"Kyokou," Shinji said, stepping forward, "how long do you think that you can hold your mask like that?"

Kyokou turned to him slowly. "I don't know. Kumi said she didn't want to fight me, so . . ."

They were all staring at her again. "Kumi?" Hachi asked.

"That's her name . . . my hollow. Actually, her full name is Akuma Tenshi, but Kumi is what she prefers."

"It has its own name?" Love asked, eyebrows raised behind his shades.

Kyokou could feel her face going red. Did their inner hollows not have names? Did Ren's inner demon have a name? Ren . . . Kyokou got sidetracked. Once he had finished battling his inner hollow, he had returned to his usual self . . . but before that, he had looked like Corn had in Guam. She wanted to ask but –

"Kyokou," Hachi said. He was the calmest of all the Vizards and brought her attention back. "Please, continue explaining."

Kyokou drew in a deep breath, and then explained everything that had happened while in her inner world. The others were shocked, with the exception of Ren, but Kyokou had known the whole time that she wouldn't have to fight her inner demons. Shinji walked away after their conversation to make a phone call, but Kyokou didn't care anymore. She was exhausted, and so she sat down and listened to the others' murmurs.

. . .

"She's a natural," Hachi said, watching Kyokou and Ren as they spoke a short distance away. "I've never seen talent with short blades like hers, nor have I seen anyone control their hollow so easily."

"It's not the hollow we're worried about," Shinji said, rejoining the other Vizards. "I told Kisuke what's been going on, and he thinks it's the Shinigami in her that needs controlling."

"Even so," Kensai said, glancing at the odd pair, "she's mastered more than we were able to in just a few short hours."

"We have another problem," Shinji said, drawing their attention back to him. "Lory is coming with Kisuke to retrieve them. We won't be able to do much more from here on unless Lory consents to it. We all know how protective Lory gets."

There were grumbles of agreement. Lory was a very kind, if not exuberant, person, but he tended to go a little overboard. He'd grown worse since being exiled to the human world. Lory was a scary person to cross, and they all knew that Kisuke had upset him by interfering with Kyokou and Ren.

"We have company," Hiyori said, looking up towards the entrance to the warehouse. All the Vizards looked up, waiting expectantly.


	12. Chapter Eleven - Explanation

I do not own Bleach or Skip Beat

Chapter Eleven – Explanation

Kisuke looked around the Vizard training area, amused, waving his fan absently. Ichigo's training had been going well, but he had turned his attention back to Ren and Kyokou when he had received Shinji's call. The information Shinji had relayed was fascinating! And Kyokou was part Shinigami to boot! Kisuke couldn't be happier about the outcome of this misadventure Kyokou had stumbled upon. The only unhappy one about all this – aside from Ren and Kyokou – was Lory, who marched ahead of Kisuke.

"Ren! Kyokou!" Lory called, ignoring the Vizards, "Let's go!"

"President!" Kyokou called in surprise, her face suddenly lighting up. Kisuke glanced at her Shinigami uniform and smiled. Kyokou ran to where her body lie with Ren hot on her heels. "Thank goodness you've come, President!"

Kisuke stepped forward, nodding to the Vizards. "Hold it! Lory came to retrieve you, yes, but there are some things that need to be settled before he whisks you away."

Kyokou and Ren both glowered, but Kisuke merely smiled in response. He took a perverse pleasure in their foul attitude toward him. Lory turned to scowl at Kisuke as well. "This isn't a game, Kisuke," Lory murmured. "I came to retrieve them; there's no need for them to be held here any longer."

Kisuke sighed. "What happened to your easy going attitude, Lory? We discussed that there were a few loose ends to be cleared up before they could be set free on the world. You saw the girl with your own eyes. Surely you understand that there are some difficulties –"

"I can take care of that once they're back in Tokyo," Lory said, turning his back on Kisuke. Ren and Kyokou approached, practically glowing at the prospect of leaving. "Are the two of you ready?"

"Yes!" they said in unison, the relief obvious in their voices. "I want to go home," Kyokou added with Ren nodding.

Kisuke shook his head. "You know you're not suited to such . . . delicate matters as this, Lory. Please, let me explain a few things to them."

Lory clenched his fists, muttering under his breath. "Delicate my . . . how dare you accuse me of . . . think you're better than me . . ." At last he let out a heavy sigh. "Fine. You have ten minutes, Kisuke."

"Wonderful!" Kisuke smiled. "Now, Shinji, explain once more what you discovered during this training, please. I'm sure the President will be fascinated to know what exactly his prize pupils are capable of!"

Shinji glanced at Lory uncomfortably. "Umm . . . well . . ."

"Go on!"

Shinji relayed the information he had given to Kisuke, looking nervously between Ren, Kyokou, and Lory as he did so. Lory stood stiffly, arms crossed against his chest, but as he listened to Shinji, his eyes widened. By the end of the narration, Lory snorted and shook his head.

"You didn't discover much I didn't already know. As I told Kisuke before, I _had_ the situation under control before he began meddling. I've never been concerned about Kyokou's abilities, though I've definitely learned a few things, and I've been well aware of Ren's condition from the moment I signed him on. There isn't much more you could tell me that I wasn't already aware of."

The Vizards gaped at him in disbelief, but Hiyori was the one who spoke up. She shoved a finger at Ren and shouted, "You knew that he was diving off the deep end? Do you know how unstable he was?! What if he lost control around normal people? What if his hollow got the better of him?!"

To everybody's surprise, Ren was the one who answered. "I nearly lost control on a number of occasions. However," he glanced down at Kyokou, who was still glowering at Kisuke, "she's been there every time I've come close to losing it. Kyokou is my savior."

Kyokou looked up, startled and blushing. "I didn't do anything," she mumbled.

Kisuke smiled at the exchange and saw Lory's lips twitch into a grin as well. Lory may be a love sick fool, but he definitely had kept an eye on these two. "Well, now that we know how training has gone, there are a few things for me to explain! Ren, Shinji has told me that you are capable of hollowfying in human form. However, I get the feeling that you would be more capable of using your hollowfication if you were in spirit form. There's one small dilemma though. Because your chain of fate is corrupted and breakable, you are only able to remain in spirit form for a short amount of time. My estimate is forty-eight hours at most, but I would have to examine your chain myself."

Ren scowled.

"I take it you don't want me to examine it. Ok, here's my theory then. You are at your most powerful when you break from your chain of fate. However, you are also at your most unstable because you are still attached to a portion of your chain of fate. Unfortunately, your inner hollow is very strong. If you undergo more training, you will become better at controlling your mask in your human form. Those are your options."

"I will provide training, Kisuke, as I've already discussed with you," Lory said, tapping his foot impatiently. "Three more minutes."

"Kyokou," Kisuke said, changing topics quickly. "Your case is more unique. You have . . . embraced your inner hollow, yes? They reported that you have remarkable control. However, your Shinigami powers are what is causing instability within you. You'll have to confront those powers if you want to maintain your remarkable control."

"No!" Kyokou shouted, startling everybody. "I want nothing to do with . . . I mean . . ." Her face turned red. "I'm not ready for that."

Kisuke waved his fan, thinking. "Well, I suppose you'll have to face down your fear eventually. I'll leave that to Lory to address, then. Anyways, unlike Ren, you are able to take spirit form without the interference of a chain of fate, thanks to . . . well, as I was saying, you are able to freely leave your body. This means that you need soul candies for emergencies, and I just happen to be the producer of the highest quality soul candies!"

Lory rolled his eyes at Kisuke's boasting, but said nothing to refute the statement.

"Normally, a Shinigami is given one soul candy to take their place, but because of the uniqueness of your . . . career choice, I had to do some more research and experiment a bit."

Kisuke pulled out what looked like a Pez dispenser that had a kitten's head at the top. He tossed it to Kyokou who examined it warily. "What is soul candy? And what do you mean, experiment?"

Kisuke snickered, fanning himself once more. "You play many diverse roles, and so I created a soul candy for specific roles. They are exact replicas of your character creations. There is a soul candy for Mio, Natsu, Setsu, Momiji, etc. I am prepared to make more for further roles you may pursue in the future, with Lory's cooperation of course." Kisuke was very proud of himself.

Lory cleared his throat. "In other words, Kyokou, he's created substitute souls that will replicate the various characters you have created. The only downside to this is that once you consume a spirit candy that is the only portrayal others will see. Mio will remain Mio until you return to your body."

Shivers ran down Kyokou's spine. The majority of her roles were not kind people; they were bullies. Though she had sought out more diverse roles, her best characters were darker than the roles other actresses received.

"Good news!" Kisuke said, regaining their attention. "There is also a candy for you. I tried my best to capture your essence, so Kyokou will appear to be Kyokou if that is the soul candy you choose to use while absent from your body."

"Time's up," Lory said. "Ren, Kyokou, let's go."

"Lory!" Kisuke whined. "I have one more thing for Kyokou." Kisuke fumbled in his pocket for a piece of paper. "I color coded her soul candies so that she'd be able to use the appropriate one whenever she needs to!"

"Thank you," Lory said, plucking the paper from Kisuke's hand as he brushed past. Kyokou and Ren smirked as they too brushed past Kisuke. Desperate, Kisuke grabbed Kyokou's arm.

"Please, be careful. You'll have to face your fears sooner or later," he whispered to Kyokou.

She yanked her arm free, the air around her darkening, sending chills down Kisuke's spine. "I have no idea what you're talking about." She turned and ran to keep up with Ren's and Lory's longer legs.

. . .

Ren let out a sigh when they reached the street; of course the President had arrived in his Limousine. The President was the very definition of ostentatious. Shaking his head, Ren resigned himself to the very long, awkward drive back to Tokyo.

Both Kyokou and Ren sat across from the President, who made a fuss about settling comfortably before meeting their gaze. "So . . ." the President said. "Now you've met Kisuke Urahara."

Ren had a million questions swirling in his head, but Kyokou spoke first. "If you knew about our abilities, why didn't you tell us? This never would have happened!"

"Well . . ." the President said, not quite meeting her eyes. "To explain that . . . I'd have to start from the beginning."

"Which is what?" Ren demanded. "Who are you?"

The President turned his attention to Ren. "I'm the same as ever. President of LME."

"Who are you really? How do you know Kisuke?"

The President let out a sigh. "I used to be a Soul Reaper in Kisuke's division. He was my captain. Kisuke was betrayed and then banished along with all of the Vizards that you just met. I was banished soon after for trying to prove his innocence."

Ren and Kyokou exchanged confused looks.

The President continued. "I founded LME because I discovered that many people, such as yourselves, with high spiritual energy are attracted to showbiz. For the most part, many don't know how to control their spiritual powers, but are able to channel their spirits into their acting. Not every actor has this ability, but I founded LME to keep an eye on people like the two of you."

Ren tried to understand this. "So . . . there are others . . . like us?"

Lory thought about it for a moment. "Not exactly. The two of you are a unique case, which is why I've kept such a close eye on both of you. I'm sorry to say, however, that Kisuke was right. I relied on Kyokou's amazing control too much." He smiled at Kyokou, and then frowned when he realized her head was down. "Is there something wrong, Kyokou?"

Kyokou looked up with a blank expression. "Sorry? Oh, I'm just a little tired, that's all."

Ren frowned too. He knew Kyokou had been listening – she was way too observant to have missed the whole conversation – but he also recognized that her thoughts had drifted elsewhere. So much had happened in the past several days that he couldn't blame her for getting lost in her thoughts. He also didn't blame her for being tired; a wave of exhaustion washed over him too.

Lory glanced at both of them, regretting withholding information from them. Ren should have been told about the dangers of Kuon from the very beginning, and Kyokou should have been told about her powers. Lory felt guilty for using her, but it had been for a valiant cause. Now it was taking its toll on his prized actors.

"It will be a while before we reach Tokyo," Ren told her softly.

She gave him a weak smile. "I know." She turned to Lory. "I have more questions, but I don't think I can wrap my head around anything else right now. My head feels like it's a massive ball of knotted string that I can't detangle."

Ren thought that was a very appropriate description of how he felt too. There had been a massive overload of information since the night he had barged into Kisuke's shop, chasing the orange haired boy.

Ren suddenly looked up. "The orange haired boy! What happened to him? He was never brought to the Vizards for training like we were."

Kyokou's eyes widened. "That's right! Ichigo . . . I totally forgot!"

Lory stared at them, bewildered. Who was Ichigo? Kisuke had mentioned training another Shinigami, but Lory had been too obsessed with rescuing Ren and Kyokou at the time. "Pardon . . . but do you mean the young Shinigami that Kisuke was training?"

The atmosphere suddenly felt heavy as Kyokou glowered. "Kisuke is training him?"

"I don't know . . ." Lory said quickly. "I didn't really ask about it."

"I hate Kisuke," Kyokou muttered, her voice passionate. "I hate the man that hurt Ichigo too."

Lory just grew more confused, but shook his head. "I'm more worried about the two of you right now."

Exhaustion suddenly made Kyokou droop, and she let the matter go. She hadn't forgotten about the orange haired boy, but she knew that there was nothing she could do to help him.

"Oh," Lory said, almost as an afterthought. "Kyokou, your guardians still think that you're on assignment. I think it would be best if you stayed with Ren for the duration of the time you were supposed to be away. He has a spare room after all."

"What?!" Ren said startled.

"You're supposed to be on assignment, remember? It's too early for Kyokou to return home, so she should stay with you." Lory raised an eyebrow mischievously, as if challenging Ren to reject the idea.

Ren glared at the President. He didn't mind Kyokou staying with him, but he also knew that the President was meddling again.

"Can I stay with you?" Kyokou asked, her voice weak with exhaustion. She didn't notice the challenge hanging in the air between Ren and the President.

"Of course," Ren said, staring the President down. "You're always welcome to stay at my apartment."

Lory smiled. This would work out wonderfully.


	13. Chapter Twelve - The Apartment

I do not own Bleach or Skip Beat

Chapter Twelve – The Apartment

Kyokou felt like a zombie as she followed Ren to his apartment, her feet shuffling as her eyes drooped. She hardly noticed that they were inside until her stomach let out a loud growl. Startled, she realized that she hadn't eaten in over twenty four hours. Ren was watching her, which made her blush. Food was now more important than sleep.

"Ummm . . . I know it's late right now . . . but, is it alright if I make something really fast?" Kyokou mumbled, not quite meeting Ren's eyes.

"Of course," he said, already leading the way to the kitchen. As usual, there was hardly any food stocked, but there was enough that she could make a simple rice dish. Making meals for Ren had become a bit of a habit for her over the past year, and so she automatically prepared enough for the both of them. Ren ate everything on his plate without argument. He hadn't eaten in the past twenty four hours either.

Despite her protests, Ren cleared the dishes. Kyokou was too tired to fight him over it, so she sat back down and watched him. Her body was screaming for sleep, but a million thoughts were swirling around her head. She closed her eyes for a moment, and then had an image of Corn swim to the surface of her thoughts. Her eyes flew open and she stared at Ren. She had almost thought she had imagined it. After he had conquered his inner hollow, he had looked the same as he did now, but before it had all happened, his spirit self had looked exactly like Corn.

"Mr. Tsuruga?" she asked, hesitantly.

He let out a sigh. He had asked her multiple times to call him Ren, but she insisted that he was her senior and therefore should be addressed properly. "Yes, Kyokou?"

"I just . . . maybe it was my imagination, but . . . earlier, when Shinji started your training . . . I thought I saw . . ." She didn't know how to ask her question.

Ren raised an eyebrow. "You saw Kuon. His hair is blonde." There was an odd iciness to his tone as he said this.

"Kuon?" she asked, her brow furrowing.

"Kuon is . . ." Ren paused. He knew she had thought she'd seen Corn. How was he going to explain this? "Kuon is my 'hollow.' I hope you never have to see him again."

Kyokou was still confused. "I don't think so. When you began to turn into a monster . . ." She shuddered suddenly as she remembered how the monster version of Ren had kissed her. "No, I don't think that was it."

Ren was silent.

"Corn's a fairy," Kyokou whispered to herself. "It couldn't have been Corn. But . . . Kuon?" She looked up at Ren.

"You're tired," Ren said, making his way over to her. "It's too late to talk about those things anymore."

Kyokou agreed, but wasn't ready to drop the topic. Her head hurt from all the information she'd received, but this was going to bother her until she had a proper answer. "What's Kuon like?"

Ren stiffened as he sat beside her. "He's a monster," he whispered darkly.

Kyokou found herself reaching for Ren, wanting to comfort him, but snatched her hand back. "All this time, you've been fighting him?"

Ren looked at her sadly. "You've helped me fight him."

Kyokou shook her head, but he grabbed her shoulder and stopped her. "You know it's true, Kyokou. Every time I feel like I'm losing control, you help me push Kuon back. Kuon's been haunting me for . . . well, let's just say I haven't been able to be myself for a while. I'm at my best when you're around."

Kyokou stared at him.

"Kuon . . . hates you," Ren said slowly, wondering how to explain it to her. "You get in his way when he tries to break free. It's thanks to you that I'm able to keep him under control."

Kyokou looked as if she still didn't believe him, but she didn't deny her help in the matter either.

It must have been the exhaustion, because Ren didn't remember deciding to say what he said next. "You're the best thing that's ever happened in my life, Kyokou."

She stared at him wide eyed. "Me?"

Ren knew it was too late to take the words back. No matter how tired she was, Kyokou would never forget what he'd said. "Yes," he said, slowly again, searching for the words to cover up his slip. "You're incredible, Kyokou." It was too late; he couldn't think of how he could talk his way out of this one.

She looked down at her hands. "I'm nothing special." She was misinterpreting his words.

Ren stared at her incredulously. How could this wonderful, amazing girl think so lowly of herself? She was the most spirited, hard working person he'd ever met, and yet when given praise, she shied away. Ren shook his head; he was in love with this impossible girl. He found himself moving without thinking again. He lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. "You, Kyokou, are the most wonderful, amazing person I know. Don't you let anyone else tell you otherwise." He quickly kissed her cheek and then got to his feet. "I'm going to bed."

Kyokou stared after him, her mouth open in shock. Ren had kissed her cheek once before, on Valentine's day, and it had been just as big of a shock now as it had been then. After a moment, Kyokou stood up too and numbly went through the motions of preparing for bed, her thoughts still a massive jumble. Before she knew it, she had passed out in the guest bedroom, dreaming of monsters, fans, and Ren.

. . .

Ren peeked into the spare room, watching Kyokou sleep. He was still exhausted, but he had woken up when Yashiro had called him, demanding to know what had happened. Ren had answered very vaguely, and then rolled out of bed, unable to make sense of the thoughts swirling through his head. Instead, he watched Kyokou sleep, slowly feeling his muscles relax as he watched the steady movement of her breathing. He hadn't realized how tense he was until now. Feeling an aching sensation in his chest, he turned away. Kyokou was so close, but still so far out of his reach at the same time. In the back of his mind he could hear Kuon laughing at his struggle.

It was late morning by the time Kyokou finally woke up. Ren had already eaten a very light breakfast by then, leaving his dishes as proof so that she wouldn't yell at him for skipping meals. She took her job very seriously when it came to making sure he ate properly.

Silence hung between them as she ate something light and then scavenged for things she could prepare for lunch. Ren felt awkward watching her. He'd never had so much free time since he'd begun acting, and now he felt useless and out of place. Attempting light conversation, he asked, "Did you sleep well?"

Kyokou hardly looked up from what she was doing. "Not really. Too much has happened."

Ren agreed. He'd had strange dreams due to their experiences that week.

"Is there anything that happened that you want to talk about?"

For a while he thought she wasn't going to respond, then, "I'm sorry I dragged you into that mess."

Ren stared at her, surprised. "It wasn't your fault. You were just trying to help . . ."

Kyokou started crying. "I couldn't help him . . . I couldn't help Ichigo . . . and then . . . Mr. Tsuruga, I'm sorry."

Before he knew what he was doing, Ren had pulled the knife she'd been using from her hands and pulled her into his arms. She'd been handling everything so well up until now. "It's okay," he whispered, trying not to be grateful that he was able to hold her. He could feel Kuon's dislike, but he pushed it away, focusing on the feeling of holding Kyokou.

She pulled away, composing herself. "I'm just . . . really confused."

"No one blames you, Kyokou. I'm confused about it all too. It's all new to both of us."

She stared up at him. "The President should have told us the truth from the beginning."

Ren agreed. "He had his reasons, I suppose, but I'm annoyed that he left us in the dark. Everything will go back to normal now, though."

The look in Kyokou's eyes said she wished that it were true. How could they go back to normal after the things they'd been through this week? Then Ren realized nothing would be normal anymore. They knew the truth now, and that meant that more responsibility came with it. On top of everything that had happened, his emotions were getting in the way. Kyokou was bound to notice soon. Ren couldn't hide his feelings for much longer.

Ren's phone rang, interrupting them. Glancing at Kyokou, he answered. "Hello?"

"Ren," President Lory said on the other end, "I need to see both of you in my office as soon as possible. How fast can you get here?"

Ren looked at Kyokou. "We'll be on our way," he said, then closed his phone. "The President wants us at LME," he told Kyokou.


	14. Chapter Thirteen - Yashiro

I do not own Bleach or Skip Beat

Hey everyone. Sorry for the delay for this chapter. I'll try to update again as soon as I can! Thank you all for reading and keep the reviews coming! I really appreciate it (:

Chapter Thirteen – Yashiro

Yashiro stood waiting for Ren and Kyokou outside of President Lory's office. He looked a little worse for wear with bags under his eyes and an unusual sluggishness lingered in his movements. He had gone into full panic mode when Ren and Kyokou both had turned off or lost their phones until the President had confirmed that they were safe and in good hands. Even so, until he saw them with his own eyes, he was the kind to worry.

It didn't help his mental state when Ren and Kyokou finally approached looking even more exhausted than he felt. Ren tried assuring him that he was fine, but Yashiro couldn't help initiating a full exam of their condition. "Have you been eating?" he demanded, poking Kyokou's ribs lightly. "How much sleep have you been getting? Why didn't you call me?"

Before Ren or Kyokou could answer, President Lory appeared and ushered them into his office. Yashiro sat down so that he could examine all of their faces, his knee bouncing nervously as he tried to assess the situation. The President was his usual cheerful self, holding a cup of tea and lounging casually on his couch. Ren and Kyokou both sat as though they were at ease, but Yashiro could detect the tension in their postures. Sebastian served tea to all of them and then quietly dismissed himself to give them privacy.

"I'm so happy you could make it," President Lory said, eyes glinting as he gazed at Ren and Kyokou. "And so, to our first order of business! Kyokou, you need a new phone."

Kyokou blinked in surprise when a small bag stuffed with tissue fell into her lap. She pulled out the phone and was startled to see a small sticky note attached to it saying: "From Kisuke, with Love." Kyokou ground her teeth and glared at the President. "Is this some kind of sick joke?"

President Lory shook his head. "I'm afraid not. He insisted that he replace your phone since it is he that broke the other one."

"What did he do to it?" Kyokou demanded, warily flipping it open and flicking through the settings.

"As far as I know, nothing," the President said, sitting up a little straighter, "but you are right to be wary of his meddling. Undoubtedly he's left a few other surprises. I've already taken the liberty to fill your directory. Unfortunately, I was unable to remove _his_ number from the directory. Kisuke always was better at that kind of thing."

Yashiro tried asking Ren what was going on with just a look, but Ren was watching Kyokou intently, eyes flashing angrily every time the name "Kisuke" was mentioned. He had an inkling of an idea of who they were talking about, but he was still confused. "Pardon me, President, but are you speaking of Urahara?"

"Yes," the President said absently. "I did tell you that your clients were safe, did I not?"

Yashiro's eyes narrowed, suddenly understanding the aura of hatred hanging around Ren and Kyokou. "I believe you have a different definition of 'safe' than I do, President. In future, would you please tell me the truth straight away so that _I_ can decide what is safe for my clients and what is not?"

The President stared at Yashiro, startled by the coldness underlying his tone, and then laughed. "This is why I assigned you to Ren from the very beginning. You really are incredible, Yashiro. I'm lucky to have a manager such as yourself in my employment!"

Yashiro ignored the President and turned to Ren. "You know about our world now, then? Urahara may be brilliant, but he definitely likes dramatics."

President Lory grumbled under his breath, "He wouldn't have even known about Ren if he hadn't interfered with Kyokou."

Yashiro sent the man a warning glance and looked back to Ren expectantly. "So, what has he told you?"

Ren took his time, glancing at Kyokou, then said, "He explained about K – about my inner hollow. He told us about a place called the Soul Society where something called 'Soul Reapers' train to kill spirits that have turned into hollows . . ."

Yashiro was surprised that Ren was still trying to hide Kuon, though it seemed as if his past was now common knowledge, unless . . . "Ren, did you explain about . . . does Kyokou know?"

"Know what?" Kyokou asked, snapping Kisuke's gift shut and looking between them. "I was with him the whole time."

Yashiro felt a chill run down his spine as Ren plastered on his best gentlemanly smile. How had he not noticed it before Kyokou pointed it out to him? "Mr. Yashiro is asking if I explained who Kuon was."

Kyokou's brow furrowed. "Your hollow?"

Yashiro felt as though he were frozen in a block of ice under Ren's gaze. Kyokou still didn't know Ren's past. Yashiro coughed and faced Kyokou, feeling Ren's eyes bore into him as he said, "Ah, yes, his hollow."

Kyokou looked to Ren, confused. His expression softened instantly. "You did tell me."

"Yes," Ren said, smiling gently at her before turning another chilling smile Yashiro's way.

"Back to business!" the President said, drawing their attention back to the meeting. "I have an assignment for the two of you, and I'm afraid there is no time to waste. I've been in communication with the Soul Society and have gained special permission to bring you to meet the captains and explain the situation and circumstances under which the two of you fall under. The Head Captain is aware of the purpose of LME here in the world of the living and has asked for a full report in order to, in his words, 'contain' potential threats to the soul society."

Yashiro squirmed in his seat, uncomfortable. He didn't much like the captains he had met on occasion when they'd come to inspect LME. "Is it really necessary? My clients' circumstances are unique, certainly, but for the Head Captain –"

"Our escort will be arriving any minute now, and you are expected to come along, Yashiro, since they are in your charge after all."

Yashiro cowered in his seat. "Is it really necessary?" he repeated weakly.

There was a light in the corner of the room, signaling that any further objections were futile at this point. President Lory stood up as the doors of the Senkaimon opened and pressed his handkerchief to Kyokou's head. Yashiro yelped in surprise as Kyokou's body collapsed against the couch and she sat before the President in full Soul Reaper's robes complete with a Zanpakto at her waist. The appearance of her soul form was not what Yashiro expected. It was Kyokou, but her hair was long and black. Ren was just as startled, jumping to his feet in surprise. Just then someone cleared their throat from behind the couches.


	15. Chapter Fourteen - Unexpected

I do not own Bleach or Skip Beat

Hey, sorry for the delay once more. School life has been crazy and this chapter took an unexpected turn on me while writing. There will likely be more delays in future, but any comments or suggestions are welcome. Thanks so much for reading!

Chapter Fourteen - Unexpected

A chill ran down Ren's spine as a figure in black robes drew their attention. The President stood up to greet the newcomer. Ren glanced at Yashiro; the manager had gone pale, recognition and confusion flickering on his face. Ren looked to Kyokou next; her eyes were wide from the shock of leaving her body. Ren reached out and grabbed her hand, causing her to look down at him.

"Momiji," he whispered, gesturing at the swords sheathed at her waist.

Kyokou nodded, her expression shifting swiftly from wide eyed to blazing determination. Ren smiled; Kyokou took her roles seriously and naturally shifted between characters with ease.

"Lory, you have a lot of explaining to do." The newcomer's voice was cold and sent chills down Ren's spine once again. "We re-established contact with you when this . . . pesky company began to draw attention. Why are you requesting to speak to head Captain Yamamoto now?"

The president laughed and gestured towards Kyokou. "Well . . . you see, there's a special set of circumstances . . . the girl . . ."

The newcomer looked Kyokou over with a harsh eye. Kyokou stood tall and met the woman's gaze levelly. The newcomer glanced at Kyokou's body on the couch and then turned on her heel. "There's no need for the head captain to speak with her. Dispose of her; she is an abomination."

The President ran after the woman, blocking her. "Stop! I don't stand a chance against Kyokou. Do not underestimate her. She needs to meet with the head Captain."

The woman glanced back at Kyokou again with a frown. "Sting all Enemies to Death," she whispered, drawing her blade.

Ren leapt to his feet, but Kyokou had already pulled free from him and drawn her blades. She crossed her blades to shield as the woman attacked, barely avoiding the tip of the yellow weapon that was suddenly attached to the woman's hand. It no longer resembled a blade, but seemed more an extension of the woman's hand. Kyokou's expression remained unchanged as she whirled and dodged the woman's attacks.

"Stop!" The President pleaded, but it was no use.

Ren felt useless as he watched. Kyokou had drawn the woman away from the couch so that they could fight without harming him in the process. The woman's eyes grew wider and wider as Kyokou successfully held off her attacks, though just barely. He wanted to help, but he knew that he was no match for this battle.

"Unleash your shikai," the woman snarled at Kyokou, "or are you a novice that –"

Kyokou's voice was low as she mumbled, "Destroy, Renai Fukushuu." It was almost as if she responded involuntarily.

A black mist seemed to envelope Kyokou momentarily, and then it cleared to reveal that her blades were . . . different. Ren stared as the short swords swung through the air, leaving trails of black mist behind them. The mist seemed to infect everything it touched, leaving a nasty grayish hue to the things that the mist touched. The mist only lasted short range, however, and dissipated after just a moment.

"Sui-Feng, stop!" the President called.

The woman gritted her teeth and ignored him. "Interesting. What do you call yourself, girl?"

Kyokou didn't respond. She was in character, her blades moving of their own accord. Kyokou's face was blank, and Ren knew that this specific character wouldn't respond to anyone unless it was her master. Kyokou wouldn't break character unless the fight ended, but the woman seemed determined to strike Kyokou down.

The woman growled. "Who are you?! This is impossible!"

"Kyokou," Mr. Yashiro whispered, startling Ren. "I knew she was good, but I had no idea she was _this_ good."

Ren's stomach twisted. This needed to end. Desperately, he scrambled to find some way to put an end to this fight. He glanced around and found a script lying on the table they'd been using earlier. He grabbed it and threw it at the fighting women. Kyokou blinked, easily dodging the projectile. Unfortunately, so did her opponent. Ren growled; this couldn't go on for any longer.

"That is enough, Sui-Feng," a new voice called.

The woman spun around, a snarl on her lips to face a new person. "Byakuya Kuchiki."

Kyokou stood still, expressionless still with her swords held loosely in her hands. The mist had vanished and they seemed to be normal short blades once more. Only Ren seemed to notice the way that she stiffened when she saw the newcomer. Did Kyokou know him?

"I believe they requested an audience with the head captain," Byakuya said, sounding bored.

"She's an abomination!" Sui-Feng growled.

The man gazed at Kyokou for a minute, then shrugged. "She is Shinigami."

"It's not natural. That is a body, Kuchiki, not a gigai."

The man turned to the President. "Did you turn her into a substitute soul reaper? That is forbidden, Lory."

"I did not," the President said, meeting the stern man's eye. "Circumstances . . . revealed her potential. Being a Shinigami is a birthright of hers."

The man frowned and glanced back at the still form of Kyokou. "Come," he ordered.

Kyokou didn't move. She was still in character, or at least she was pretending to be. Ren could feel waves of hatred coming off of her. Ren planted himself next to her, brushing her hand and whispering "relax" in her ear. Her eyes flicked towards him, but she didn't budge otherwise.

"Well?" Byakuya asked, irritation creeping into his voice. "Did you want to speak with the head captain or not?"

"No," Kyokou whispered, voice trembling. "No!" she said again, louder. "You hurt Ichigo! I'm not going anywhere with you."

Ren stared at Kyokou, her hatred suddenly making sense. She had called to tell him that a boy was bleeding in the street that night. This was the man who had left Ichigo for dead.

"We're leaving," Ren said, scowling at Lory.

The President stared between them and the newcomers in bewilderment. "There must be some kind of misunderstanding."

Byakuya gazed for a long moment at Kyokou and then turned on his heel. "Let's go, Sui-Fong. It seems Lory was just wasting our time once again."

The little woman glared at Kyokou and scurried after the other man. Kyokou didn't move until they vanished through a weird circular gateway that vanished behind them. Kyokou relaxed and returned to the couch where she collapsed, returning to her body. Ren noticed Yashiro fidgeting while President Lory too collapsed on his respective couch. After a moment to wrap his head around what had just happened, Ren sank back into his seat as well.

He took Kyokou's hand, vaguely making note that she didn't pull away, and realized she was trembling. In the back of his head he could hear Kuon laughing as he struggled to control his temper. The room was silent as the weight of the situation settled upon them.

"Kyokou," Yashiro finally croaked.

Ren shook his head. Now was not the time to be asking Kyokou questions.

"I'm in trouble," President Lory moaned, his face in his hands. "Why did they send those two? Why did they send Captains?! I was hoping for one of the regular squad members, but to send Captains!"

Yashiro shook his head, a troubled look on his face. "They wouldn't have received Kyokou well anyways, let alone Ren. They give me the creeps every time a soul reaper checks in on the company."

The President looked at Yashiro through his fingers. "It can't be helped. We attract too much attention." His hands fell to his lap and he looked to the ceiling, a pondering expression on his face. "I'll have to call Kisuke. He always warned me this would happen. Why did he have to interfere?"

Kyokou stood up suddenly, pulling free of Ren's hand. "I'd like to go home please."

The President looked like he wanted to say no, but with a defeated sigh said, "Yes, that would be best. Ren?"

"I'll take her," Ren quickly agreed, standing as well. Ren glanced over his shoulder as he followed Kyokou out of the room and pitied the President as he sat with his face in his hands.

. . .

"Sir," Sebastian said, gentling shaking his boss's shoulder.

Lory looked up and gave a sigh as he rubbed at his eyes.

"I take it that it did not go well."

"No," Lory said. There was an abnormal air of depression about him. "When they report back to the head captain it will mean war. I don't know when it will come. Sui-Feng will almost definitely send the stealth force after Kyokou. I just . . . why can't I do anything right in regards to the soul society?"

Sebastian gazed at the door thoughtfully. "Would you like me to keep an eye on her? I know the stealth force and the way they work. I could contact Yoruichi as well if necessary."

"No, no," Lory said with a wave of his hand. "I mean, yes, keep an eye on her, but keep the lady out of it. If I know her and Kisuke, they have other matters to attend to. Just . . . make sure Kyokou stays safe."

"And Mr. Tsuruga?"

"Ren?" Lory growled in frustration. "I almost forgot. Sui-Feng just assumed that Kyokou was the only one with high spirit pressure and didn't notice Ren's spirit pressure spike. Damn that Kisuke. Stay close. Ms. Mogami will likely be keeping an eye on Ren, but she's your prerogative."

"Yes, sir," Sebastian said, bowing as he silently slid from the room.

. . .

Kyokou was still shaking when they entered Ren's apartment. She sat on the couch staring out the window when a gentle hand on her shoulder startled her back to reality. Ren offered a steaming cup of tea that smelled faintly of mint which she took with trembling hands. She took a sip and was surprised to find it soothing her nerves and warming her core.

"Thank you," she whispered, giving Ren a weak smile.

He sat on the floor facing her and waved away her thanks. "I just added water."

She took another sip. "Even so, thank you."

"Kyokou, if there's anything I can do for you . . . if you need anything . . ." Ren trailed off. What _could_ he do for her?

She was silent for a moment. "I . . . I need Cain right now." Her cheeks flushed and she ducked her head as she said it. "I need a big brother."

Ren was on the couch beside her in an instant, his arm sliding around her shoulders. "I'm here, Setsu."

He could see the change in her face as she slid into Setsu's character. She set her eyes defiantly and kissed his hand. "Let's go for a walk, brother."

Ren raised an eyebrow. "Wearing that outfit? I don't think so."

She rushed out of the room and he slowly made his way to his own room and donned the outfit of Cain Heel. As he made his way back to the front room, he couldn't help smiling. At her suggestion, he had become someone else. Someone they could be comfortable around. Someone they could use to escape the reality of what had happened.

As he met her by the door where she tapped a booted foot impatiently, he felt himself relaxing. Ren reached for her hand and led her out of the apartment. She clung to his arm and whispered in English as they walked down dark streets, ignoring the stares and mutterings of the others on the street.

. . .

Sebastian snapped another picture of the couple and called the boss.

"Your report?" Lory asked.

"She's shaken. You've trained her well though. They've become the Heel siblings once more."

Lory sighed from the other end. "Thank you, Sebastian. Let me know if there are any other changes."

Sebastian grunted an affirmative and snapped the phone shut, silently gliding through the shadows. There were moments when Kyokou would turn as if she suspected they were being followed, but Sebastian was very good at what he did. He had masked his spirit pressure through one of the cloaks Kisuke Urahara had provided him, and silently took out the minor hollows that trailed behind the couple he followed.


	16. Chapter Fifteen - Decisions

I do not own Bleach or Skip Beat

After the wait for the last chapter, I am pleased to update so quickly! Life is crazy, so I make no promises for future updates, but I'm excited for where this chapter is taking the story :D Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 15 - Decisions

Yamamoto frowned when Sui-Feng and Byakuya walked in. Slamming his staff on the floor, he arched an eyebrow and asked, "Well? Where are they? What did Lory want?"

Byakuya took his place amongst the other captains while Sui-Feng bowed deeply and hissed in a low voice, "He called for another forbidden act. The girl he wished us to bring here is a soul-reaper, but she is also human."

A gasp went around the room. The captains began to whisper to each other. "Another one?" "Will Lory be executed as well?" "There are two illegal substitute soul reapers?"

Yamamoto slammed his staff on the floor once again and a hush settled among the captains. "This is very disturbing news, Sui-Feng. Are you sure she was illegal?"

"Yes, head captain."

"If I may, Captain," Gin said with a sly smile, stepping forward. "Lory is known for his insubordination. His . . . erm . . . company, is it? LME has attracted many humans with high latent spirit energy. Who knows how many Lory has turned?"

A murmur ran around the room again at this suggestion.

"No," Toshiro said, scowling. "I check on Lory's 'company' frequently, and I've never come across an employee that was a soul reaper. If he turned one, he must have had a good reason."

"Why didn't you bring the girl back?" Aizen asked suddenly. "We could have all questioned her personally."

Sui-Feng scowled at all of the captains. "She is an abomination to be disposed of."

"Did you dispose of her?" Yamamoto asked.

Sui-Feng paled, but was saved by Byakuya. "The girl has exceptional skill with a blade and managed to avoid Sui-Feng's attacks. I witnessed this myself. The girl has an impressive amount of spirit energy – enough to be considered as lieutenant if she had gone through the soul academy – and has already unlocked her shikai. The girl also refused to return here with us."

"Do you know her, Captain Kuchiki?" Sui-Feng suddenly demanded.

Byakuya leveled a cold glare at her and she cringed back, startled. "I do not know why she seemed to know who I was. I have never met her before now. However, she knew of the boy, Kurosaki Ichigo."

Another whisper ran through the room. "If she was involved with Rukia, then we could question her," Shunsui said softly.

"No," Yamamoto said, gathering their attention once again. "I questioned Ms. Kuchiki personally. She never mentioned this girl."

They all frowned in puzzlement.

Yamamoto continued. "For now, we are concerned with the betrayal of Kuchiki Rukia. However, Sui-Feng will be in charge of keeping an eye on Lory's actions and report back immediately if any more about this girl is found out. We have other matters to attend to. Dismissed!" With a final clunk of his staff, the captains dispersed, mingling in small groups as they whispered together about this new development.

. . .

"Lory, slow down!" Kisuke said with a frown. His old friend had called in a panic and now seemed to be hyperventilating on the other side of the line. "I'm sure you're overreacting!"

"Did you listen to anything I said?!" Lory cried, overdramatic as always. "Captains, Kisuke, captains came to take them to face the old man!"

"Yes, I heard you. You're still overreacting. From what I saw and from what Shinji reported, Kyokou can handle herself."

Silence . . . and then, "That may be true, but Sui-Feng was the one who came to retrieve her. Kisuke, I've never been prouder of one of my actors, but Kyokou should never have had to hold off a captain in a duel. I'm scared, Kisuke. Soul society has never been open-minded about these kinds of things. I was hoping that over time they would change, but . . . what do I do?"

Kisuke tapped at his keyboard, pulling up Kyokou's stats, as well as Ren's, and scanned the information Shinji's report had added to it. "Lory, I don't think you have to worry. The boy is unstable still, but if they were to come after Kyokou, he would be able to fend them off. From what I've observed, his spirit pressure goes crazy, above that of a captain's, whenever Kyokou appears to be in danger." Kisuke chuckled suddenly. "I made the mistake of underestimating him when I took Kyokou. As long as they are together, you have nothing to worry about."

Lory still didn't sound convinced. "I know I was rash and said that I would take over their training . . . but I think you are better prepared to train Ren."

A broad smile lit up Kisuke's face. "I would be happy to have a hand in his training, Lory."

A pitiful tone filled Lory's voice. "I will send them to you the day after tomorrow. Kyokou isn't going to like going back to your shop."

Kisuke laughed. "I will be extra cautious around Kyokou. It will be a pleasure to train them."

. . .

Kyokou sat like a statue, her world shattering around her once again. She had spent the last two days blissfully lost in the world of the Heel siblings, but reality was like a cold bucket of water dousing out the small flame of happiness she'd been enjoying. Beside her, Ren's fists had clenched against his knees.

"Say it one more time," Ren demanded, glaring at the President. Kyokou didn't need a repetition though; she'd heard the President quite clearly.

"Why are we going back to that vile man?" she whispered.

The President's expression was that of a small child caught in the middle of a rebellious act. "I thought I would be able to get you're training under control . . . however, after the other day's incident, I realized that Kisuke is better equipped to train you properly. I fear that the Soul Society will come after you, Kyokou, and Kisuke will be able to prepare you both for such an incident happening."

Kyokou bowed her head and clutched the fabric of her skirt, thinking. She could feel the tremors of Ren's shaking; he didn't like the idea of the crazed shopkeeper holding them hostage again any more than she did. "What does Kisuke want us to do?"

"He'll train you to fight, I imagine."

"Why can't you train us?" Ren demanded.

"Ren," Kyokou whispered, reaching for his hand, "it'll be okay. I don't like it, but he's right. If we train here, we'll draw attention from the others. LME is not the place for fighting."

Ren squeezed her hand and sucked in a deep breath, glowering at the President. "We'll go."

. . .

Ichigo stared at hat-and-clogs in surprise when the odd shopkeeper suddenly announced a break. He sat back on the sand with a huff, laying his sword aside, and stretched. His opponent disappeared up into the shop, allowing Ichigo to relax for the first time in the past three days.

"They came back," Ururu informed the red-headed Jinta as she stared up the later with distant eyes. "I thought they didn't like it here."

Jinta shrugged and swung his massive bat in a circle. "Who cares why they came back? If they're here, that means it will get a little more exciting."

Before long, hat-and-clogs descended the ladder once more followed closely by the girl, Setsu, and her brother. Ichigo frowned; they looked different than the last time he had seen them.

". . . and you'll be training with Ichigo here," Kisuke was saying proudly as he led the newcomers over to where Ichigo was sitting. He was waving his fan merrily, acting as if he hadn't been engaged in fierce battle with Ichigo just moments before.

The girl crossed her arms and scowled at the shopkeeper. "You never agreed to our contract. Promise that we are free to leave the shop if we so desire."

The tall young man behind her glared down at the shopkeeper, sending chills down Ichigo's spine.

"Yes, yes," Kisuke said, flapping his hand. "You're not prisoners, after all. Lory just wants you to be prepared in case the Soul Society comes looking for you. You have nothing to fear!"

Neither looked appeased by this. In fact, the girl looked a little queasy. Ichigo stood up and brushed sand off of his robes. "You interrupted my training for this? The clock's ticking!"

The three turned to look at Ichigo. However, as the girl turned, Kisuke raised his cane and knocked the girl from her body forcefully as he had done to Ichigo many times. She cried out in surprise and the young man beside her tensed, a scowl flashing across his flawless face.

"She's your new training partner!" Kisuke announced with bravado. "Kyokou, meet Ichigo Kurosaki. Ichigo, meet Kyokou Mogami."

Ichigo felt uneasy about this new turn of events and looked to Kyokou's companion. "He doesn't look to happy about that."

A sudden gentlemanly smile crossed the young man's face as he looked at Ichigo, but more surprising was the way Kyokou cringed away from her companion. Ichigo stared at him confused.

"Ah," Kisuke said, glancing at the young man as well. "Ren has agreed to let Kyokou train with you while he trains with me."

Ichigo glanced at the still smiling young man and felt another chill run down his spine. "Umm . . . if you say so." He glanced at Kyokou. "Are you okay with this?"

Kyokou glanced up at Ren, cringing once again when she saw his smile, and nodded. "I'm prepared."

Ichigo watched as she drew two short swords and walked a short distance away. He looked to Kisuke and gave the quirky man a questioning look, but the man just smiled behind his fan while Ren watched Kyokou intently. Shrugging, Ichigo turned and walked towards his new partner. She took a defensive stance and watched him warily.

Ichigo looked to Kisuke for guidance one more time before taking a steadying breath and leaping towards his new opponent. To his surprise, Kyokou parried with an unexpected strength. Ichigo took a step back and examined her for a moment before feinting to the left. Kyokou was not fooled by his feint; she easily side stepped and spun, bringing the tip of one blade just an inch from Ichigo's eye. The force of his block caused him to slide back a couple feet whereas Kyokou merely straightened and held her short swords loosely at her sides.

"Don't go easy on her, Ichigo!" Kisuke called merrily, waving his fan.

"Wha?" Ichigo said, turning back to Kyokou but found that she was no longer there. He had glanced away for just a second!

"Keep your guard up," a soft voice said from behind him.

Ichigo whirled and brought his sword up just in time to block her. He grunted, once again surprised by the power behind her blade. In a whirl she was gone again. Ichigo took a defensive stance, circling slowly now. Kyokou held her short swords loosely at her sides, eyes never leaving Ichigo's. _Think,_ Ichigo urged himself. He moved to feint, watching as she twirled and brought her swords low towards his leg. He jumped and narrowly avoided her second blade that came flying towards his midsection. After that, he spent the next ten minutes dodging her flying blades.

"Ichigo!" Kisuke called. "Are you training or practicing for the ballet?"

Ichigo grunted, finally bringing up his blade to block, but the force of her attacks sent him flying back another ten feet. Without a pause, Kyokou charged, eyes glinting. Ichigo dodged and brought his sword up for an attack. Next thing he knew, his sword stood quivering in the sand a few feet away and Kyokou had both blades crossed at his throat.

. . .

Kisuke applauded as Ren smiled approvingly at Kyokou who turned and walked back towards them. He took note of her blank expression and the way her spirit pressure had spiked the moment she drew her swords.

Ichigo retrieved his sword with a flushed face, rubbing the back of his head. Jinta had burst out laughing the moment Ichigo had lost, and the louder he laughed, the redder Ichigo's ears became.

"Well done, Kyokou!" Kisuke congratulated her, but she ignored him and sat on the ground, swords laying bare across her crossed legs. "So what did you learn, Ichigo?"

Ichigo scowled at him and rolled his shoulders to loosen them. "Again," he said.

Kyokou didn't move. Kisuke watched amused as Ichigo came over with a determined look on his face, and Ren squatted beside Kyokou.

"Hey!" Ichigo growled. "I want another go."

Ren glanced up at him and shook his head with a smirk on his face.

"What?" Kisuke mumbled, crouching to see what Ren was seeing. When he saw her face, he understood. "We're not disturbing her right now."

"What?!" Ichigo yelped.

"I'll continue practicing with you. When she's ready, you'll know."

Ichigo stared at him incredulously. "Why? What happened to her?"

Ren glowered at him. "If you ask the same stupid questions _I'll_ take her place and you can fight me instead."

Kisuke watched as Ichigo's face paled. Did the spunky orange haired boy have a history with the young man? He filed the information away for later and just beckoned to Ichigo. Ichigo followed reluctantly, unaware of the tears streaming silently down Kyokou's face as she meditated, lost in her inner world.


End file.
